Stars of Destiny
by DarkStrider
Summary: The Scarlet Moon Empire is rife with tension, its people crying out for justice. The day that justice prevails is silently drawing near. The 108 Stars of Destiny are gathering. Live the Legend of the 108 Stars of Destiny
1. Chapter 1

**_Chapter 1_**

**DISCLAIMER: I Don't own Ranma ½, Sailor Moon or Suikoden or any of their characters. All rights go to their respective owners forthwith.**

Strider grimaced as his stomach rumbled, pulling him away from the computer screen abruptly. Rubbing the offending area he nodded to himself and stood up.

"Damn I'm hungry," he yawned tiredly and looked out the nearby window at the blue sky above. "Nice day out. Might as well go out and get something to eat. Maybe those cookies I saw yesterday from that shop?" Stretching for a moment and making sure that he had saved the story he was reading, the tall boy slipped his feet into his favourite trainers and checked the back door.

"Locked. Good. Now to get some **food**!" Grinning, he went to the front door, pausing only to throw on his favourite black leather trenchcoat. "Like I give if it's warm outside," he muttered to himself as he locked the front door. "If it looks good, I'll wear it!" Adjusting the coat slightly, he dropped his keys into his pocket and jogged into town.

_Thank God it's only five minutes away!_ He thought wryly._ I am so out of shape…_

Within a few minutes he stood in front of the Cookie shop, surveying the selection and attempting to keep from drooling.

"Three White Chocolate and two Triple Chocolate please!" the man behind the counter grinned slightly and handed over the paper bag of the delicious confections.

"Got a sweet tooth eh?" He joked. Strider grinned and nodded.

"It's one of my many weaknesses!" He pointed out several fillings to the vendor, who whistled. 

"Better watch what you're eating then!" Strider shrugged noncommittally.

"Probably." So saying he made his way out of the store and began leisurely walking home, munching on a white chocolate cookie thoughtfully. Five minutes later he came to a rather uneventful conclusion.

"My life sucks," he muttered sourly. _I ain't got a job, I live at home with my mother, I live in front of my PC and I'm lazy. What a sucky life._ He thought. "Wish my life were more interesting," he mumbled around a mouthful of cookie. Approximately 8.97seconds later, the loud screeching of tires, shattering glass and tortured metal alerted him to the fact that life was **definitely** going to become more interesting. Dreading what he would see, and hearing the sound of tortured metal coming rapidly closer, and against all of his instincts, he turned around and watched as a large overturned petrol tanker slid towards him at an alarming rate. A quick glance told him that even if he dived he would still be crushed. 

Strider regarded the approaching tanker balefully.

"Typical," he stated flatly, as the leaking petrol from the tanker washed his trainers lightly. The tanker then decided to blow up, fifteen feet from where he stood, and lighting the spilled petrol.

_My life sucks._ He thought dryly. Despite his imminent death, he found the situation rather amusing, in a sadistic sort of way. Just as the flames engulfed his static form, he thought back to an oft-repeated quote: **"Be careful what you wish for…"**

Then the world became white and full of pain.

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Ranma scowled at the swiftly flowing water underneath the bridge. Tossing a pebble into it, he watched as the ripples it created vanished as rapidly as they had appeared.

"Stupid Uncute Tomboy," he growled, nursing a large bump on his head. "She didn't have to mallet me again! I didn't do nothin' either. Stupid Pig, it was all his fault!" He grunted a sigh and leaned on his elbows to stare up at the underbelly of the bridge above.

"Everybody always blames me for everythin' that happens! As if it's **my fault!** Damn…And stupid Pops and Mr. Tendo don't do nuthin' about it either! Stupid Panda…" Abandoning his thoughtless rambling, Ranma sat back up and reacquainted himself with the intricacies of the canal water.

"I just wish…I just wish that everyone would stop blamin' me for everythin'…" He muttered.

"Granted!!" Chimed a voice, sounding delightfully pleased with itself. Ranma scrambled to his feet and looked at the intruder, to find himself face to face with a coal black cat, an insufferable grin on its face.

"C-c-c-cat!" the pig-tailed boy shrieked. Before he coulld do anymore, the cat flicked its tail and the young martial artist vanished in a flash of light.

"Sorry kid, not gonna happen in this world. Go someplace else!" Chuckling to himself, and wanting to watch the action from the start, Toltiir walked into the shadows and disappeared.

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Setsuna regarded her future self with a degree of scepticism, but held her peace. She had learned that if she was ever told something, she should listen. The last time she didn't caused the Hiroshima bombing. She didn't want to make a mistake like that again.

"So you're saying I'm going to undergo a trial?" she queried. Her future self pursed her lips thoughtfully.

"Not quite. A trying time. Just remember that as I stand before you now, you can get through it. How you do so is up to you."

"Can you give me anything else?" she asked, frowning slightly. The older Pluto smirked slightly and shook her head.

"Good luck." With those parting words, she vanished, leaving the Guardian of Time stewing.

"Now I know how the others feel," she groused as she peered into the gates of time trying to divine anything on this "trying time" she was to undergo. A few minutes into her idle perusal, she spotted something that caused her a rather large degree of alarm.

Travelling along the timestream, and directly to her current location, was a huge wave of temporal flux. With only a scant few seconds to spare, Setsuna gripped her staff tightly and clicked her heels together.

"There's no place like home, there's no place like home…" opening her eyes, she swallowed as the temporal wave converged on her location.

"It was worth a try…" she whispered, bracing herself for the coming storm. "This is going to hurt…"

She wasn't disappointed.

=======================================================================

Feeling the most intense headache ever in his young life, Strider grit his teeth and sat up onto his elbows. Immediately he collapsed again, curling up into a foetal ball, his hands clasping his throbbing head.

"Augh that hurt!" he croaked. Finally working up the courage, he sat up gingerly, his eyes slitted to cut out the amount of light that he was certain would sear his eyeballs. After groaning and rocking gently for another few minutes, he noticed his surroundings.

"Okaaaaay…**not** a hospital." Indeed, rather it was a minuscule clearing surrounded by tall oak trees. "Most **definitely** not a hospital." Blinking rapidly and attempting to ignore the roaring in his ears, the young man looked down at himself. "I'm not dead…bonus!" He blinked again and looked about. "No idea where the hell I am…bummer."

Slowly he dragged himself to a kneeling position and looked about. He paused as his eyes rested on a familiar white paper bag and smiled sardonically.

"At least I got food. Better work out where I am before I eat it all." Grunting, he managed to stand up and retrieve the tasty biscuits before drawing a deep breath. 

_Okay…_he thought,_ which way now?_ Looking right and left, he shrugged, picked one at random and began to walk.

Eighteen minutes later he emerged from the small copse of trees and froze. 

In every direction stretched miles and miles of grassland right to the horizon. Strider chuckled softly and shook his head.

"My life sucks," he stated, before looking about again. _If I choose the place where there's the most growth, I'll probably come across some water. It's the best bet I've got, so I better get moving._ So thinking, he began to move, walking in ground-eating strides with his long legs. _Heh…these things finally come in useful!_ He mused, glancing at his legs. With a shrug, he tucked the remaining four cookies into the largest of his pockets and carried on towards the lushest area of the grasses that he could see. 

_I'd better ration myself. Besides grass, there doesn't look like there's a lot to eat out here. Hope I'll find something before I starve. Hell, I better hope I find water before I die of thirst!_ Squinting up at the blue sky, he guessed by the vague area of the sun that it was around 11:00am. He had the whole day.

"Wonderful," he muttered sourly as he trudged forward, now wishing he had worn **anything** other than black.

=======================================================================

Setsuna groaned as she flopped onto her stomach, then abruptly decided that was a bad idea as the specified part of her biology decided it wanted to repel its contents. With a desperate heave, she brought herself to her hands and knees in time to vomit on the nearest bush.

_Bush!?!?_ Wiping the vomit from her mouth, she peered around her apprehensively and assessed her surroundings.

Grass. Trees. Bushes. And more grass. She looked down. And some dirt, too.

_Oh shit. What happened?_ Frantically she backtracked the days activities and came up with one big blank. The only thing she knew was that she felt sick to her stomach and wanted to throw up again. She didn't bother to resist, redecorating the bush once again in lewd orange and yellow chunks. 

Rubbing her head after cleaning herself up slightly, Setsuna staggered to her feet and cast about for her staff. She blinked as she came to a rather unnerving discovery. It was nowhere about. She tried to summon it. 

Nothing.

Swallowing, she attempted to summon her henshin stick after realising she was back in civilian guise. 

Nothing there either.

Taking a shaky breath, she licked her suddenly dry lips and reached out with her time senses for the Gates of Time. She stifled the urge to shriek hysterically and soothed herself by wringing her hands softly.

_It's okay…it's okay. There's nothing to worry about. The others will soon realise I'm missing and will search for Silver Millennium Energy. Then they'll find me. Easy. I just have to wait._ With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she recalled how she had failed to detect the Gates of Time or summon her henshin stick. That meant she was cut off from her planet. And there was **no way** to do that short of destroying the planet itself. The green haired woman calmed her rapid breathing with an effort of will and thought out the problem logically.

_Okay…I can't summon my henshin stick, I can't detect the gates of time either. The Gates are housed on Pluto. Pluto has **not** been destroyed. I would have known if it was. I would probably have been killed at the same time from magic backlash. So what else could there be? Either I'm too far away from Pluto for the bond to work or…_ she paused and swallowed as a rather unpleasant fact made itself loudly known by a large amount of *WARNING! BAD THING!* signs that she had plastered all over it. Either she was too far away from the solar system, or…she wasn't in the same dimension. Both were bad things as far as she was concerned, but if it were the latter that was true, she had better hope that the place that she was in had dimensional travel. Or else she would never get home. **Ever**. 

Sometimes being as old as she was and being able to work out vastly complex problems sucked dirt. 

"By the gods, this can't be happening to me!" she whispered fiercely. If **only** she could remember how she got here! Then she could work out how to get back! In an attempt to calm her nerves, she took a pace forwards and fell flat on her face. Smothering the impulse to curse, she twisted her head around and found the cause of her impromptu flight. 

Her high heels. 

The small heels of the expensive pair she was wearing had sank into the soft earth that she stood on, and as far as she could tell the rest of the ground was just as soft and springy. 

Deciding it couldn't hurt, Setsuna let rip.

"Fucking hell!" she swore as she pulled her stockinged feet free and stood up. Despite a **lot** of patience that she had gathered after her few thousand-year lifetime, even Setsuna had her limits. Especially after finding you were reduced to the same levels as a normal person. To her, it was like being a fish out of water. With a groan, she realised that without the protection of the Gates of Time, she would begin to age just like a normal person.

"Life sucks," she snarled as she snatched the offending footwear from the ground. Grinding her teeth, Setsuna looked about her and chose a random direction. With a grunt of irritation, she began to walk, stepping over tree roots and dead twigs.

_My feet are going to kill me,_ she thought abysmally.

=======================================================================

Ranma flailed wildly as he appeared six feet off of the ground, completely startled out of his wits and upside down.

"Urk!" With a thud and a desperate twist he avoided landing on his head and managed his lower back instead. Springing back to his feet he glared about himself suspiciously before blowing the air out of his cheeks loudly.

"Heh, be careful what you wish for," he muttered. Looking about, he deduced he was no longer in Tokyo. For one thing, Tokyo didn't have oak trees as far as he knew. With a shrug, he jumped into the branches of a particularly large-looking tree and bounded to the top. 

Poking his head out of the treetops, he panned his view around himself. After turning nearly 270 degrees, he spotted a fair-sized town in the far distance.

"Probably take me most of the day ta get there," he mused to himself. On the whole, he wasn't that upset with the situation, aside from the fact it was apparently created by a cat. He shivered at the thought and returned to ground level. If worse came to worse, he would be completely free of his fiancees, his stupid father and a whole host of rivals. His smile at the thought dimmed a bit when he thought of his mother and Kasumi – the two bright spots in his life. Surprisingly, he didn't even spare a thought for Akane, aside from the usual 'uncute tomboy' label. 

With a jaunty smile, he set off walking for the town, noting idly it was around 3:45 in the afternoon by the sun. Which meant he would probably reach the place by nightfall. He hoped they were friendly and not adverse to someone paying by manual labour. After all, hadn't he had to do the same thing when his pops had skipped on a bill and left him behind? 

He may not have liked it, but if he had to do it to get food and shelter, there was nothing more to it than that.

=======================================================================

Glaring balefully at the sun in the sky, Strider wiped his brow with the back of his wrist to rid himself of some of the sweat. Swallowing thickly he prayed he would find some water soon, not to mention somewhere to bathe! 

_God I stink,_ he thought glumly as he flapped the collar of his black T-shirt, the trenchcoat being slung over his shoulder. He growled slightly as, yet again, a lock of his long brown fringe intruded into his eye.

"Bloody hell!" he muttered, flicking the offending piece of hair out of his eye. He paused in his walking to survey the area, and noted that on the next hill a large and fairly dense copse of trees resided. "I hope trees like water," he murmured and set off in their direction. 

He was only half way there when from the treeline stumbled a slightly wild-haired woman wearing a smart business suit and carrying a pair of high-heels. He noted that she was barefoot, and her stockinged feet were scratched and, he would hazard a guess, blistered.

As he drew closer. Other details began to stand out about the woman, who was also moving with a determined, if not pained, stride in his direction.

"**Green** hair!?!?" he muttered to himself, as his lip twitched into an amused smirk. He attempted to wipe it off his face with what he guessed as little success, for when the woman drew a little closer her determined look melted into a scowl. He stopped walking to allow her to come forward, and took the spare time to observe.

She wore a smart grey business suit with matching skirt, which he dared to say was shockingly short, and a pure white blouse. Due to the heat and her obvious exertion, the sweat allowed him to note that she also wore a lacey white bra.

_Nice,_ he thought silently before bringing his gaze up to her face. It wouldn't do to offend on your first meeting would it? She was rapidly drawing closer now, and more than a little irate from the look on her face. _Hope she didn't catch me ogling her._ Strider thought wryly as he studied her face.

She was Asian, of that there was no doubt, with jade hair, high cheekbones, full pink lips and…Strider blinked. Red eyes? That was something you didn't see everyday. He guessed she was wearing contacts. She also wore two simple gold and ruby studded earrings and a simple gold chain around her neck. Trying to place her age he gave up and merely dubbed her as 'early to late twenties.'

His study was interrupted when the woman spoke, and if he could hazard a guess, he would have said it was Japanese. He blinked and quirked a questioning eyebrow in response.

"Pardon?"

=======================================================================

Setsuna cursed for the hundredth time as she stepped on a sharp twig, making her hobble for a few dozen feet until the pain died down to more acceptable levels and she could walk – or limp – on it again. 

"Stupid forest," she growled as she gingerly applied pressure on her blistered and wounded foot. Stopping for a moment, she leaned against the bole of a tree and let her head rock backwards.

"This has to be the second most shitty day in my life," she observed to no one in particular. The first being the fall of the Silver Millennium of course. With a resigned sigh, she pushed herself upright and began to walk forward again when she caught sight of something that she had hoped for for a large amount of the time that she had spent in the blasted forest. _Open space_

"Yes!" She crowed under her breath and limped toward the patch of light that signalled an end to her torture. Much to her combined horror and desolation, the forest only opened up to grassland. **Lots** of grassland. And that meant walking. She felt like crying at that particular point until she spotted a figure walking towards her. Blinking, she hobbled forward.

_Maybe he has some food? I hope he can help me. If he doesn't, I'll kick his ass._ She thought fiercely. Half way to meeting him, he stopped walking and tilted his head to regard her. 

_That asshole! Can't he see my feet are hurt? And what does he do? He stands there and watches me! He's even **smiling**! _Setsuna's tentative smile had by now transformed itself into an angry scowl at the figure's obvious nonchalance for her plight. As she neared, she studied him, her scowl still firmly in position. 

He was taller than she, maybe by only an inch or two, but still taller. Quite thin too, if the thickness – or lack thereof – of his arms was any indication. Dark brown hair shot occasionally with gold was cut short around most of his head save for the fringe, which jutted forward in an almost horizontal manner in a slightly claw-like shape. Fairly thick eyebrows crowned slightly feminine green eyes that shone with amusement and curiosity above lips stretched tight with the effort of suppressing a smirk – poorly, Setsuna thought – and framed by a moustache and goatee the same colour as his hair. He wore tight black jeans that were belted by a stylised silver buckle of a dragon in flight and a plain black T-shirt with black socks and Reebok trainers. A black leather trenchcoat dangled over his shoulder, hooked on two fingers from his left hand. His right bore a single gold signet ring on his ring finger and he wore a stylish pendant on a beaded metal chain. She guessed his age at the late teens.

At this point she noted that he was ogling her sweat-soaked chest as she drew nearer and glared silent death at him until she could get closer.

When she was finally close enough, she paused to get good enough breath and glared angrily up at him.

"Are you finished staring at me?" she snapped, finally having run out of patience. The young man blinked quizzically and raised an eyebrow before he spoke.

"Pardon?" He asked in English. Setsuna marked a slight rural accent with definite British overtones. Switching to English, she restated her earlier question, adding a glare for good measure. The young man grimaced and ran his free hand through his hair.

"Sorry," he apologised, "didn't mean to stare at you." Setsuna wasn't impressed by his apology, even though he had maintained a steady eye contact to convey his message.

"Oh?" she pronounced archly. "You were staring at the rest of me blatantly enough!" he shrugged and, rather than deny it, nodded.

  
"True enough. Sorry about that too." The green haired woman blinked, having not expected this response. He smirked faintly and brought his right hand back up for a handshake. "My name's Strider. What's yours?"

Feeling slightly out of her depth, not being used to friendly introductions. Glancing down at the hand, she clasped it and let go.

"Setsuna Meiou." Strider nodded and squared his shoulders with an audible click. 

"A'ight. Where are you from? Doesn't look like anywhere around here to me. 'specially with those high heels, right?" Setsuna pursed her lips thoughtfully as she inspected him a second time and debated what to tell him. 

"No. I'm not from around here. Are you?" The youth broke out into a grin and chuckled.

"Do I look like it? You've gotta be kiddin' me. I woke up about half a day ago in a copse of trees not unlike this one here. Though mine was a good deal smaller too," he added. Setsuna sighed in disappointment and pondered her next move. After a moment she was sharply reminded that her next move was to get the weight off of her aching feet. With a soft hiss she sat down on the long grass and reached down to inspect the soles. As she had predicted they were broken, cracked, blistered and raw, and they hurt like hell on top of all of that. She looked up as Strider dropped down into a crouch just beyond her feet and whistled softly.

"That's gotta hurt," he stated, looking up for confirmation. Setsuna fixed him with a dry look.

"Yes. It does. A lot." She stated flatly. He smirked faintly and eyed her heels that she had dropped by her hip.

"Those the only shoes you got?" he asked. Setsuna nodded and he grimaced. 

"Wonderful. I don't suppose you saw any water did you? Please say yes." Setsuna grasped the implications of his question and shook her head with a responding grimace. Strider rolled his eyes heavenwards before speaking.

"Joy," he muttered sarcastically. Blowing the air out of his cheeks he shrugged and peered down at her feet. "Gimme those," he commanded and picked up one of the tender limbs. She hissed softly as his thumbs gently worked into the least damaged areas in an attempt to relieve some pain. "That feel any better?" he asked, still concentrating on her foot. She grunted an assent softly.

"Why are you doing that?" she murmured when he stopped to switch feet. He paused and looked at her curiously.

"Why shouldn't I?" he asked simply. Vaguely nonplussed at his rejoining question, Setsuna thought for a moment.

"You might have offended me," she pointed out. Strider paused and looked up from under his eyebrows, a smirk on his lips.

"Then I would have stopped, said sorry and done something else. 'Sides, it's not very nice to simply ignore someone if they are in pain." Setsuna quirked an eyebrow.

"You did that well enough before we spoke." The taller boy blushed slightly and smirked to himself.

"True, I was too busy 'ogling' you, remember?" He grinned up at her. A wry smile twisted her lips at his response before she turned her attention to their surroundings. "So," Strider spoke up from her feet as he put her left down, "where do you think we should go now?"

"We?" She pointed out. He smirked again and tapped the pocket that contained the cookies.

"I've got food, remember? Not much good without water, and it won't last too long with two of us, but I can't just leave you here. 'Specially with your feet no?" Setsuna had to grudgingly admit he had a point. She wouldn't be going anywhere with her feet as they were, and without foot and water, she was as good as dead.

"All right, you have a point. Where were you going before you met me?" Strider tipped backwards until he landed softly on his rump and crossed his legs. He glanced a ways to the left of the treeline and gestured in the same direction.

"That way. I thought there might be water seeing as the foliage looks lusher there." Setsuna glanced over her shoulder in the direction indicated, but saw nothing unusual other than more grass.

"It may be our best shot. I would guess that it's perhaps ten to fifteen miles away. Do you think we can make it by sundown?" The brown haired boy shrugged noncommittally and rose to his feet.

"One way to find out, no?" He glanced at her feet again and grunted to himself. "Guess I'm gonna have to carry you." The green haired woman looked him up and down sceptically and he frowned. "Hey, cut it out. It's the best chance we've got. Unless you want to limp all the way?" Setsuna glanced at her feet for a moment then over her shoulder. After a moment she flattened her lips at turned back to her companion.

"I don't have any choice," she stated flatly. Strider snorted as he re-crouched down in front of the green haired woman.

"Everyone has a choice, Setsuna. Even when it seems there's no choice at all. Now, are you ready?" Feeling a pair of arms slip around his neck, he reached down and gathered the older woman's legs up into a comfortable position before taking a deep breath and standing up. "Bloody hell," he muttered as he staggered forward. After a moment's teetering off balance, he managed to stand without weaving and bobbing all over the place.

"Perhaps I should have walked after all. It might have been safer," Setsuna remarked dryly. Strider scowled into empty space.

"Oh shut up," he muttered as he set off in his previous direction, this time at a much slower pace. On his back Setsuna, former senshi and guardian of the Gates of Time, thought about what she was going to do now. Especially as her very survival was hanging by a hairsbreadth, depending completely on their success in finding drinkable water. And there was also the niggling doubt that she was forgetting something, if only she could remember what it was.

=======================================================================

Ranma grinned as he relaxed in the inn and stared at the ceiling. When he arrived in this "Rikon" and found some soldier-type guy threatening a barmaid if she didn't co-operate and acted, the owner was so grateful that he gave him room and board for free! As far as Ranma was concerned, life was good. 

He even got to have a light workout! True the guy was even more pathetic than Kuno and was slower than a rock, but at least he got to perform some of his sword-disarming manoeuvres. 

Surprisingly, he learned that the locals spoke English and was, for once, thankful that his stupid father had dragged him to a few places that spoke the language. He wasn't fluent in it. Yet. It would only be a short time of hearing it often until he could speak it as well as his native Japanese. He could already speak three dialects of Mandarin and Cantonese like he had been speaking it all his life. It was amazing what you could learn on the road. 

He hated it that people thought he was stupid. Sure, he sucked at maths, but what use was it to a martial artist? History he could understand, it was good for tactics. Languages he didn't need to bother with, all he had to do was go to the place and listen for a bit to learn how to speak it. Who needed to know how to ask, "where is the toilet?" in a dozen languages anyway? All you had to do was read the stupid signs that they put out. Science was good for scientists he supposed, and maybe for martial artists like Ukyou who used some explosives in their art, but why would he need it? All he needed to do was use a Ki blast. Phys. Ed. He could understand. That was stunningly obvious. You had to keep in shape after all.

Just before he drifted off to sleep, Ranma wondered how Kasumi and his mother were doing.

_Hope they're okay,_ he mused idly to himself as his eyes slid shut and he plunged into a dreamless sleep.

=======================================================================

Strider walked mindlessly along, hardly even noticing Setsuna's weight on his back any longer. After the first twenty minutes he had to strain to keep upright, but within another half an hour most of his body had become mercifully numb and he had simply shut off anything unnecessary to walking. By an idle count, he would guess that he had been walking for nearly two hours now, and had perhaps covered five miles. It would be dark soon, and he would have descended into a new level of hell. 

He was shaken from his mindlessness by a solid hit to the back of his skull.

"Ow! What was that for!?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder. Setsuna regarded him with a level look.

"We have company. Are you any good at fighting?" Strider blinked and looked about. He quickly spotted what she meant, approaching from the direction they were heading towards were, for lack of a better term, giant ants. Five of them and each one about four foot high and carrying a spear and wearing a sort of helmet.

"I have no idea. I've never tried. I took some basic judo and boxing classes a while ago, but I would hazard a guess that I suck ass." Next to his ear Setsuna made a soft sound that sounded suspiciously like a groan. "What? Guess I'm gonna have to find out if I'm any good. Here's hoping no?" So saying he placed her gently on the long grass and straightened up stiffly. "Don't think I got good odds though. I'm sore, exhausted, hungry and thirsty as all hell. Plus I'm a bit of a runt, to be honest."

"Why don't you off yourself before you let them do it?" Setsuna muttered. Strider looked over his shoulder at her and chuckled. 

"Never know until you try right? Here's hoping!" 

As the giant ants approached, Strider dropped into a loose boxing stance and began to bob, weaving vaguely left and right on his feet as if he were slightly dizzy. As the ants came closer, he moved forward, dodged the first thrust of a spear and backhanded the and across the base of the neck with a knife-hand. With a sickening crack, the ant's head jerked backwards and flopped about uselessly. The body continued on for a few moments before dropping dead to the ground. 

With a jaunty smile on his face, Strider dodge sideways just in time to avoid having his knee taken off by a spear and repeated the motion, this time with his foot to the chin of one of the ants. Afterwards he cursed and hopped for a moment, holding his toe.

"Bloody things are harder than goddamn concrete!" he yelled. The third time was not so lucky as he caught a jab on the upper thigh, causing him to stumble slightly. With a loud oath, he snatched the spear from one of the nearby creatures and shoved it down the open mandibles of his attacker. 

"Take that you bastard!" He scrambled to his feet as the remaining two creatures decided to attempt to spit him simultaneously, ending up stabbing the recently evicted space. Clutching his wounded thigh, Strider snarled angrily and span, bringing the wickedly pointed end of the spear up and around like a golf-club swing, embedding it into the left one's neck and continuing the movement without the haft, leaving it in the twitching creature. The last remaining one stabbed forward with an angry chitter, aiming this time for the mid-waist. However, following his spin, Strider knocked it away and grabbed the ant's head by the sides, swinging around and straddling its back.

"Goodnight!" he snarled and twisted sharply. Another audible crack and the creature dropped like a sack of potatoes. 

Panting heavily, Strider wobbled to his feet and looked about. With a slightly puzzled look he bent down and picked up a small sack and peered inside before turning around and regarding Setsuna levelly.

"Do monsters normally run around with sacks of money and medicine?" Blinking, the older woman shook her head mutely, having been too thirsty to answer without her voice cracking. Clearing his throat, Strider nodded and pulled out of the sack six small vials and inspected them. He sniggered when he read the label on it and looked at her again.

"Why does it say 'medicine' then?" Chuckling to himself, he shrugged again and downed the contents of one of the bottles. Before she could say anything, he straightened up and looked at her with a mildly surprised expression.

With his normal voice, not sounding at all as if he were exceedingly thirsty, he spoke.

"I'd say it works pretty well to be honest. See?" He turned around and showed her the rip in his jeans was now merely an open tear showing clean skin beneath it – not a trace of a wound in sight.

"Want some?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow. When she nodded, he tossed her a vial and moved towards her easily, glancing about the surrounding countryside idly.

"Cures your thirst too. Bet it doesn't last too long though. I got three waterskins from those things too, and they're full, so I'd guess we were close to water." 

After downing the potion, Setsuna stood up on her repaired feet.

  
"We had best get a move on then, hadn't we?" she stated. Rolling his eyes to himself, Strider shrugged and followed, his long legs easily keeping pace beside the willowy jade haired beauty.

After twenty minutes of companionable silence, they crested a hill and found themselves looking down at a moderate sized river. Glancing sideways, Strider grinned sarcastically.

"Last one in is a rotten egg!" he crowed as he sprinted down the hill, shedding his coat, T-shirt, socks and trainers at the edge. Facing towards her, he grinned and launched himself into the water, making a large splash as he submerged himself. Setsuna rolled her eyes faintly before strolling sedately down to the water to cool her feet as she watched the sun set.

=======================================================================

**End Chapter 1**

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	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2_**__

**DISCLAIMER: I Don't own Ranma ½, Sailor Moon or Suikoden or any of their characters. All rights go to their respective owners forthwith**

Ranma yawned as the sunlight landed on his eyelids, groggily pulling himself out of the warm and comfortable bed to the land of the living.

"Man," he muttered as he rubbed his eyes sleepily, "what a wild dream. Pity I can't really get away from all that stuff." After a moment of gazing out of the nearby window, Ranma came back to full alert.

"What? I don't sleep in a bed!" Whirling around, he took a sharp inventory of his surroundings at a single glance. Belatedly he remembered the innkeeper's thanks and offer to stay the night. Ranma grinned toothily. Free food! At that precise instant, his stomach growled loudly, announcing to all who cared to listen that it was empty.

"Heh, better get some food quick. Hope they have enough! I'm starved!" With that, he headed downstairs, cheerfully stretching his slightly cramped muscles. Once in the main room, he saluted the innkeeper and walked over.

"Heya! Got any food? I'm starved!" he said, smiling at the rotund man. However, his smile quickly disappeared when he noticed the man seemed decidedly nervous. "What's the matter? Somethin' wrong?" the man swallowed and glanced about before fixing Ranma with a determined look.

"I-I'm afraid you are going to have to leave. T-the General's men have told me that they are coming here to…to burn down my inn if you are still here. Y-you must leave! This place is all I have!" Ranma grimaced and nodded.

"Sure, man. No prob. Guess I can't blame ya. I'll leave as soon as I got some food 'kay?"

"No! You must go now! Please!" Sighing, the pig-tailed boy looked forlornly at the breakfast table and nodded.

"Sure, man. Sure. Later!" With a last wave, the pig-tailed boy opened the door and left, glancing left and right as he did so, looking for both escape routes and potential enemies. After establishing what he needed to know, the young martial artist frowned sourly.

"Man, I didn't even get to eat breakfast!" To prove his point, his stomach rumbled again to remind him of the forsaken foodstuffs.

Debating whether or not to go inside and snatch a few morsels, he barely managed to duck out of sight when a full guard of soldiers marched around the corner and into the inn. 

_Oh man! How am I gonna get away! That rock face has to be at least 5 stories high! Even I can't make that in a single jump! And those stupid tin-can jerks are blockin' the only road outta this town! Scrunching his face to try and come up with a plan, the pig-tailed boy almost missed the drop of rain that landed on his nose._

"Eh?" He muttered intelligently as he looked up. True to form, the dark clouds that had spontaneously appeared overhead opened up in a torrential downpour, soaking him to the skin and activating his curse. 

Muttering depreciating comments to any rain kami in residence, the pig-tailed girl stood up and trudged past the guards posted at the entrance to the town, casting the ones that oogled her a sodden glare.

"Get lost bozos," she snarled and continued walking. The guardsman at the front of the line, obviously with a rank of seniority over the others, frowned and blocked the red head's way.

"You shouldn't talk like that to your betters girlie. You might get hurt. But don't worry. I'm not insulted. In fact, I'll let you make it up to me eh? How about you an' me go get a room and have some fun? Women like a man in uniform eh?" As he spoke, he placed a callused hand on the petite red's shoulder, making her cheek twitch angrily.

"Hands off. Or you loose the hand ya jerk." Ranma growled, directing a glare that could have rivalled one of Akane's patented 'glares of death' at the man. He merely guffawed and moved to wrap the arm around her shoulder, commenting to his friend how 'having spirit made it that much more fun.' By this point Ranma had had enough and soundly uppercutted him in the jaw, sending him flying in the downpour to slide to a stop face down in the mud.

"Get lost!" she snapped and stepped over his fallen body. Before leaving earshot however, she heard one of the soldiers making a dry remark to his superior.

"Makes it that much more **fun eh, sarge? Makes you wonder what you call fun!" Ranma sniggered and continued on.**

"Now, where can I get some food around here?" 

=======================================================================

Strider yawned as he watched the setting sun and scratched his jaw idly. With a lazy stretch he propped his arm up on the remainder of his clothes as he allowed himself to dry off in the warm sunlight.

After a moment, he realised a voice had intruded on his drowsing.

"Are you always this brazen in front of total strangers?" Setsuna asked archly from where she sat on the river embankment, her feet dangling in the water. Sprawled on the grass, Strider smirked and looked at her through lidded eyes.

"Nope. Just felt like it today. Haven't had a swim in ages." He replied, stifling the impulse to yawn again. The green haired beauty merely quirked an eyebrow momentarily before returning her gaze to the water. 

"I see." She murmured tonelessly. The young man rolled his eyes and struggled to his feet.

"Well, better find somewhere to rest. It's gettin dark. You comin'?" Taking a last look over the water and the reflection of the setting sun, Setsuna nodded and stood up.

"Yes." Rolling his eyes again, Strider shrugged on his T-shirt and swirled his trenchcoat around his shoulders to allow his arms to slide up the sleeves. Re-pocketing the medicine, the young man drew out the other occupant of his pockets and rummaged inside. After a moment, he threw a quarter of a cookie to the viridian haired woman.

"Dinner. Enjoy!" He said cheerfully as he shoved his own quarter in his mouth. Pursing her lips slightly, Setsuna took a small nibble of the confection as she walked toward the younger man. 

"Do you have any idea where we should go?" she queried between the small bites. Strider took a short swig of water from his own flask and looked about for a moment. After a few minutes of silent contemplation of the scenery, he sighed slightly and gave a weary shake of his head.

"Nothing around for miles. We're going to have to build ourselves some shelter." Setsuna blinked slowly.

"And what would we make it out of? Grass?" She muttered, indicating the surrounding grasslands. Strider placed a look of mock amazement on his features and regarded her with wide eyes.

"Wow! How **ever did you guess? Are you a mind reader?" His only reply was a slight narrowing of her eyes. With a swift imploring glance to the darkening heavens, the tall young man looked about.**

"Not quite. I was in the Boy Scouts for a good few years. Taught me a bit about survival. Not a huge amount, but enough to survive for a while. One of the things I learned was how to weave a bivouac to shelter in." 

"A what?" Setsuna questioned as she watched him move over to a fairly thick clump of reeds and rushes.

"A bivouac, it's like a tent made out of branches, leaves, twigs, anything you can get your hands on really." He glanced at her over his shoulder in irritation. "Well? Are you going to help, or are you going to stand there like a lemon?" 

feeling more than a little out of her depth, the willowy woman took a deep, soothing breath before speaking.

"In case you haven't noticed, I have nothing on my feet." She replied with as much patience as she could muster, considering the circumstances. 

_I **really don't want to deal with this right now…she thought grimly. The tall youth glanced down at his feet for a moment before snorting derisively.**_

"So sorry," he muttered sarcastically, completely unrepentant, "I didn't realise your feet were allergic to mud." Setsuna grit her teeth silently.

"Fine," she muttered, her voice sounding surprisingly brittle. With a few strides she stood next to the taller boy and viscously yanked the nearest few reeds out, thrusting them to him when her hands were full. When nothing happened, she cleared her throat meaningfully. After another minute of his complete ignorance he turned and eyed the small pile in her hands before glancing back up at her. 

"What do you want me to do with them?" he asked, sounding as if he really had no clue what she wanted. Taking a couple of deep breaths to calm herself she spoke again.

"I don't know. Weave them? Make this…bivouac? I certainly have no idea. Why don't you take them and use them?" It was very hard not to snap.

_Gods…I never had this much trouble controlling my temper! She thought silently. Strider regarded her levelly for a moment before turning back to leisurely plucking the reeds from the mud by the riverside._

"In a minute," he answered dismissively. Setsuna's eye twitched slightly in irritation before she carefully placed the reeds by his feet and walked away. 

_First I get brought here, then I loose my connection to the Gates, and **then I loose my Senshi powers. And ****on top of that he treats me like I'm not there! How dare he! Oooh! Reaching the slight rise signalling the beginning of the hill, the viridian haired woman lowered herself gracefully to the ground and sat with her legs crossed, trying to ignore the drying mud on her feet. **_

Over by the river, Strider rolled his eyes. 

"Women," he muttered softly and quickened his pace.

_No way is she gonna order me around. I had enough of that at home. She can work with me or not at all. Her choice. He carried on his task mindlessly for a few minutes before another thought entered his mind. ****__Damn __she looks good. Why do all the nice looking ones have to be so…so…he immediately encountered a mental stumbling block. __M'eh, I'm being an ass. She looks ready to tear her hair out, and I'm just being a total dick. Aren't I so nice. Silently he stacked the reeds he had gathered into a pile, remembering those that Setsuna had placed by his feet, and began to make a second pile. __I'm always such an ass with people I don't know. Maybe I should be nicer? For all I know she had a kid or something and she misses him. Should I ask? Or would it seem like I was prying? Ugh. Dealing with people sucks. It's never simple, is it? Talk about stupid. After a moment he realised he had managed to gather sufficient reeds to finish the bivouac and set them in another pile gently. Heaving a sigh, he wracked his mind for memories of his hated time in the Cub Scouts. __God I hated that place. I always got picked on. A wonder I can remember anything at all. Taking two of the strongest reeds, he placed them on top of one another and grasped one of the long river plants from the bank. With a sharp tug, he pulled it out and began to wind it around the join, carefully revising the knot each time he made a mistake. After a minute or so, he judged the knot good enough and gathered another two reeds together, securing them in much the same fashion. After tying all four together he had a frame, but he already noted it was almost dark enough to make seeing difficult._

"Bloody hell," he muttered as he tried to tie together another pair. "Just my bloody luck it gets dark before I'm finished isn't it? Stupid weather." Muttering angrily under his breath, the young man finally had a second frame cobbled together. Grunting off a sigh, he gathered the remaining reeds from the first pile together and struggled to secure them to the frame. After the fifth try, he growled warningly and began again.

"My life sucks," he snarled softly, managing to cut his palm open on one of the reeds. Cheek twitching, he concentrated and firmly tied them to the frame.

"One," he muttered in the growing darkness. With a slight huff, he picked up the second frame and gathered the second pile.

"I've heard of blind fighting, but never blind bivouac making before," he whispered, feeling his lips curve into a smirk.

Another ten minutes later and he had finally managed to secure all if the reeds together.

"Setsuna?" he called, peering about in the gloom.

"Yes?" answered a voice that issued from the space directly to his right.

"Gah! Don't do that! Here, I got them finished. All we gotta do is prop them up together and instant shelter. It'll be good enough to keep light rain and wind out. But not anything like a storm. Better hope we don't get any, no?" he vaguely made out the form of the older woman nodding. Holding up one frame, he set it against the one he had handed her earlier and crawled inside. Noting the small space and the way his feet stuck out the end, he sighed forlornly.

"Well, this should be interesting, if nothing else." He muttered. Setsuna poked her head inside and looked about before shooting him a glare.

"It's too small," she commented flatly. Regarding her levelly, he smirked. 

"You want to make another one? Be my guest. Otherwise, you can sleep out there or in here. Your choice." Setsuna studied him silently before crawling into the small space and squeezing herself in beside him.

"Touch me and die." The ice age held more warmth than her voice. Strider smirked.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he said dryly before closing his eyes and attempting sleep.

Three hours later, he still hadn't managed it, and was actively thinking rather grotesque thoughts to keep his mind from wandering to the attractive woman by his side. After failing miserably once again and thinking decidedly impure thoughts, he cursed softly and squirmed his way out of the bivouac.

Regarding the stars, he glared at any passing god who cared to take notice and growled a by now familiar saying.

"My life sucks." Silently huddling in closer, he hunched over and tried to get to sleep in the cold night air.

Inside, Setsuna studied the ceiling of the bivouac.

_Why did he go outside? It wasn't hard to draw some fairly accurate conclusions, which brought a smirk to her face.__ Well, it never hurts to know you are attractive. Soon though, her thoughts turned darker._

_Will I ever get back? If I do how long will have passed? Will the Gates still accept me as their guardian? Squeezing her eyes shut, Setsuna willed the bitter tears away. __It's all gone…everything I worked for…oh gods, please let me get back! I don't want to stay here! It's horrible! Curling up, she hugged her knees to her chest and attempted to stifle her sobs, feeling decidedly more alone than she had in over a thousand years._

Outside, Strider stared stoically into the night, sleep all but forgotten in the wake of a depressing revelation about his companion.

_Life sucks for everyone…he thought grimly. He didn't get an ounce of sleep that night._

=======================================================================

Munching dejectedly on a fish, Ranma pondered her situation as she watched the waves slosh gently against the pier. 

Two days ago she had woken up in a small forest of trees with no food, water or money. The same day she had kicked the butts of a bunch of bullies wearing metal armour and acting like they owned everything in sight. The next day she had been forced to leave the same town she had helped. Now? She was hungry, had no money, and nowhere to stay. There wasn't much chance of getting a job just looking about the small town, Tien if she recalled correctly, gave her enough knowledge to tell that it was a small possibility.

Sighing, the redhead looked about. 

_No TV, no electricity…and no hot water. Unless I boil some that is. The day before, life had been pretty smooth for Ranma Saotome. Now it looked more than a little sparse. The only reason she had food was because she caught it herself. And with the near constant rain every time she tried to start a fire…well…it made food rather…bland. Eyeing the barely cooked fish in her hands warily for uncooked pieces, Ranma resumed eating and pondered once more._

_Heard a few people talkin' about monsters around here. Maybe I can get some kinda reward? About the only thing I can think of. No one'll hire me for a sailor, and I can't work for a blacksmith, not unless I can get some hot water. Kami knows 've tried. Can't seem to last five minutes without changin' back at the moment. Damn I hate this curse. Finally finishing her food, Ranma tossed the remains into the water. Beside the rumours of monsters, she'd heard a bit about the area. There was a prison south of here, called Soniere, and to the west was another town and a castle. _

_Scarletica __I think. Or was it Scarleticia? Can't remember. Some stupid name like that. Head of that Milich bloke too. He's that general dude I musta pissed off. There were rumours abound about the young man who had dared to strike the General's soldiers, and also mentioned was a sizeable reward. _

_Kinda lucky my curse keeps me hidden, really. Even if I **do hate it. I gotta get outta here though. How do I do that? Steal a stupid boat? Nah, I don't know how to sail…Swim? Man, I'll save that as a last resort I think. Last time I swam anywhere was to China. And look what it got me! The pig-tailed girl's thoughts were interrupted when she heard something she had come to dread when she was with her father.**_

"Hey **you!" wincing, the redhead turned around to see who had called her, and saw the captain to whom she had taught a painful lesson about respecting women. **

"Oh **great," she muttered, wondering just what else was going to happen.**

"Yeah! You! You little bitch!" Ranma's irritated look abruptly transformed to an angry scowl.

"What did you call me?" She demanded, feeling her blood begin to boil. 

"I called you a bitch, bitch! You're under arrest for assaulting a Soldier of the Scarlet Moon Empire!" By this time the man had reached her and stood within easy reach should she decide to take serious offence. He leaned closer and smiled sadistically. "Maybe you should have taken my offer, girlie. 'Cause now every man around is gonna have some fun with you in prison, and there's **nothing you can do about it!" Ranma's glare transformed into a honey sweet smile that would have given cavities to anything within a hundred metres. **

"**Wrong!!!" She crowed as she brought her knee up into the soldier's sensitive groin, following up with a sharp uppercut and a hard roundhouse, laying him out like a light.**

**"Arrest her!" Another soldier roared angrily. Blinking like a deer caught in the headlights, Ranma took one look at the fifty or so soldiers coming her way and jumped off the pier into the water.**

_I can take 'em easy, but someone'd get really hurt if I tried! She thought as she struck out swiftly for the deeper water. Using her above average strength and speed Ranma quickly pulled away from the pier, feeling thoroughly irritated and not to mention wet._

Doesn't look like I get a choice. Looks like I have to swim all the way. Unless I want to go back? She shivered as she swam, feeling a chill run up and down her spine that had nothing to do with the freezing water. Man is it cold. Better hurry up. Then I can get food and shelter. Not much good being out here. She sighed mentally as she swam, mindful of the strong currents that attempted to pull her off course. Man, this is getting old really really fast. Maybe I should start lookin' for a way to get back? There's no tellin' what pops has gone and done while I'm away. Pretty sure I'll get a malleting when I get back tho. What is it with her anyway? I don't get it. How can I be a pervert when I'm tryin' ta get away from Shampoo? Don't perverts grope 'n' stuff like Kuno? Or stare at girl's chests all o' the time? Ah forget it. I'll think about it later when I get to where I'm goin'. Where am I goin' anyway? Oh well. I'll reach land soon enough. Finally having a decided goal, Ranma continued forward, her limbs moving with a grace that nearly rivalled the fluidity of the water all around her. 

Several hours later, Ranma staggered out of the waves and onto the beach before collapsing gratefully.

"Now I remember why I hated swimming to china. Took me two days to recover, dammit." Ranma muttered under her breath, expelling a few breaths to clear away the sand from her mouth, eyes and nose. Grunting, she hauled herself up and began to ponder sluggishly up the beach, searching for driftwood and other assorted things with which to make some temporary shelter. Finding half of a destroyed fishing boat wedged against two rocks, she shifted her concentration to finding firewood, of which there was plenty. Directing a pea-sized globe of chi at the pile of dried wood, Ranma sat back from the crackling flames to enjoy the heat and a well-earned rest. 

=======================================================================

With a soft sigh, Setsuna blinked open her eyes groggily and sat up, wincing at her stiff muscles and the numerous aches and knots in her body.

"Ow," she muttered and crawled outside. The early morning sky was bright and sunny, making her squint as she tried to locate her companion. Moments later she located him, standing in the shallows of the water and holding a spear above his right shoulder, naked from the waist up. 

"What are you doing?" She asked, moving closer. Receiving no answer she strolled closer and noted that he was peering closely into the water, and doing his best to stay motionless. She jumped slightly when his arm flashed down into the water, stabbing at something she couldn't see. With a smirk he held up the spear, one of the ones used against him earlier by the ants she noted, and brandished the weakly writhing fish on the end.

"Fishing. I hope you're hungry." With that he waded out of the water and dropped the fish into the grass next to another fish. Eyeing them dubiously, she glanced up at him.

"Only two?" She ventured. With a grimace, Strider shook his head. 

"It's harder than it looks. I've been up nearly three hours. This is all I got. I had to go back and get a spear though. Reeds weren't strong enough." Grunting softly, he dropped down to a squat and began to gut the fish using the head of the spear. Grimacing in distaste, he extricated the disgusting mass and flung it away into the grass, wiping his hand on some nearby moss.

"Yuck," he muttered, scowling at the smell. After a moment he tore the fish open fully, displaying the remaining innards to the open air and handing it over to his green-haired companion. Blinking, she looked at it blankly before looking up at him quizzically.

"What am I supposed to do with it?" She inquired. Strider smirked faintly.

"Eat it," he replied evenly, pushing it into her hands and picking up the second, and smaller, of the two fish. Setsuna looked at the dead fish in her hands in dull horror.

"WHAT!?" She looked back and forth between the fish and the young man's face several times. "You mean…raw? No offence, but-" she was cut off mid-sentence by Strider, regarding her with an irritated expression.

"Look. Do you want to starve? Because I can tell you right now that the cookie we have left won't last the day. After that we'll have nothing. So in three days, do you want to be starving hungry and scrubbing at roots for food? I sincerely hope not. I certainly don't. So eat up. It'll taste like crap, and smell like it, too. But it's all we've got." Reluctantly, Setsuna had to agree that he was right, and haltingly began to chew on the uncooked meat of the fish. Her first bite had her spitting out the flesh violently and coughing for several minutes.

"That bad, huh?" Strider asked. Setsuna looked up at him with a frosty look. He smiled slightly and nodded. "Right." Sighing, he peeled back some of the fishy scales and took a bite. The green-haired woman watched intently as his face contorted with disgust. Swallowing, he shivered and glanced at her apologetically.

"Bon appetite," he muttered sourly before taking another bite. "Watch out for bones as well." He commented, picking a fine example from his teeth and regarding it dryly. Nodding, Setsuna sighed and reluctantly resumed eating.

Two hours later she found herself being carried by piggy-back once more and wondering what on earth had made her agree that it was a good idea. Not only was her companion having difficulty staying upright as he carried her, he was beginning to smell.

"You need a bath," she muttered, wrinkling her nose daintily. Snorting, Strider plodded onward, parallel to the river in the hopes of encountering a town or city. 

"Find me a some of hot water and I'll take one gladly," he said flatly. "You need one too." 

Shocked, Setsuna merely blinked for several seconds.

"I most certainly do not!" She declared frostily. Her companion sniggered softly as he shifted his grip to retain a good grip. Suddenly she froze. "WATCH THE HANDS!" She protested loudly in his ear. Wincing, he nodded.

"Sorry, sorry. My hand slipped." _Not that I mind where it went_, he thought to himself, a slightly lecherous grin flickering across his lips. Setsuna huffed indignantly in his ear.

"Don't let it happen again," she declared, her tones enough to make the South Pole seem like a summer resort. Feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand on end from her warm breath, he nodded with a small shiver. _I hate my life,_ he thought to himself glumly._ A gorgeous woman on my back and I can't do anything about it. My life sucks._ Remembering the sounds he had heard earlier that night, he grimaced and pondered how to keep her mind off of her losses, as he guessed that he had lost far more than he. _If it weren't for the lack of food and equipment, I'd be in heaven,_ he thought ruefully to himself. He had always longed for adventure; it looked like he had gotten his unspoken wish. 

Finally deciding on a little fun, at least to take his mind off of his protesting muscles, Strider grinned and shifted his hands again. 

*THWACK* 

"Ugh!" 

"I **told** you to watch your hands," Setsuna commented frostily as she clambered down. "I think I will walk from now on." Grimacing, Strider rubbed his head.

"Oh? And how many Medicines are you gonna use up for your feet then? For all we know there might not be anywhere within a hundred miles that we could find some more. Don't be stupid."

"Then **stop** feeling me up!" she growled. Putting on an innocent look, completely ruined by his roguish smirk, Strider scratched his eyebrow lazily.

"What? It was an accident! Besides, there's nothing wrong with looking is there? I mean, you are pretty beautiful." 

"**Look**, but don't **touch**." Setsuna snapped, regarding him suspiciously as she manoeuvred behind him again. He nodded compliantly as she pressed up behind him, not seeing his mischievous look as she raised one leg to allow him to hook it in his arm. Casting a glance towards the sky, Strider smirked and squeezed lightly. His companion's startled shriek told him he had judged correctly.

_Time to go!_ He thought jovially to himself as he took off running. Casting a glance over his shoulder he caught Setsuna's scathing glare as she chased him.

=======================================================================

Ranma smirked as he faced off against the dog-like creature; easily evading it's pathetic attempts to skewer him with its sword and retaliating with several debilitating strikes to its head and chest. Howling in agony, the kobold made a suicidal lunge at the pig-tailed boy. Leaping over the strike and kicking his attacker squarely between the eyes, Ranma thought back to how this had gotten started.

He had been minding his own business after managing to find a hollow stone in which to heat some water, when several of these creatures had appeared out of the long grass and attempted to kill him. Much to his irritation, they did not even give explanation when questioned as to their reasons for attempting to kill him. Deciding that he had had enough of their attempts, he had severely beaten all of them, including the one that was at present collapsing to the ground.

Puffing air out of his cheeks in irritation, Ranma gathered together what he had managed to pilfer from the unconscious animals, noting with no small degree of amusement that each held six vials of something helpfully entitled 'medicine.' 

"Heh, pity there ain't gonna be none for 'em when they wake up," Ranma chuckled to himself. Thanks to the kobolds, though he had no idea that's what they were called, he now had around 100 gold coins with which to buy supplies. As soon as he found the nearest town that is. Deciding to risk it, he downed one of the medicines and blinked at the rush of energy that it provided, re-energising him better than any sleep he had ever had before and making him feel on top of the world.

"All right! I'd better get out of here before these bozos wake up. Don't want anyone **else **out for my blood already," he muttered, conveniently forgetting that was what these creatures had been doing minutes before. 

Finally having finished, he stood up and began to jog away from the coast, deciding heading east would provide him with the best possibilities, rather than north or south along the coastline.

Besides, he was getting tired of fish, despite being Japanese.

Several hours later, he noted that it was beginning to cloud over and thanked his forethought for managing to bundle up that semi-hollow rock. He had a feeling he would be needing to use it soon enough. 

Sure enough, minutes later the heavens opened up, drenching him within seconds and activating his curse. Brushing her red hair out of her eyes, Ranma sighed and adjusted the waist-line of her belt and the make-shift pack she had constructed in an attempt to stave off the inevitable drenching of her meagre supplies.

"Man, this gets better and better," she muttered sourly as she resumed her ground-eating pace. Suddenly she felt the ground beneath her feet shift dizzyingly, almost causing her to loose her balance. Stopping immediately, the pig-tailed girl glanced around at the large circular shaped depression that was currently forming about twenty metres in every direction. Looking down at her feet that had become mired in the rapidly forming mud, Ranma cursed and attempted to pull herself free, with little success. Noting absently that the depression was definitely deepening at an alarming rate, Ranma ran through her options as quickly as she could. Jumping was out, as her feet, despite her tremendous strength, were firmly mired and unable to move. Similarly, running was out of the question, as was pulling herself out by her arms. The redhead had a feeling that her arms would suffer a similar fate to her feet should she try and pursue that option.

Ranma froze as her ki-enhanced hearing detected a groaning sound, and taking stock of her situation told her that it pertained to her in a most alarming manner. 

That is to say, if you could count the large hold opening up three feet from her person alarming. With a loud oath, Ranma made a last desperate attempt to pull herself free before the gaping maw of darkness reached her position and introduced her to the concept of free-fall. Not considerably different from her own experience with hang-time from Akane's mallet.

Flailing her arms wildly, Ranma twisted madly to avoid the falling debris coming from above whilst attempting to prepare herself for the inevitable harsh landing. During a particularly hairy encounter with what looked to be a two-ton piece of dirt, Ranma spotted where she was heading.

"WHY DOES IT ALWAYS HAVE TO BE WATER!!!" She bellowed angrily just before she plunged into the icy depths, momentarily freezing as the shock of the water washed over her system. A moment later she had recovered and began powerfully stroking towards the surface. Taking a grateful gasp of air as she broke the water, the redhead glanced up to see a rapidly enlarging shadow.

"Eep!" She exclaimed, immediately diving back under and stroking away at a steep angle as fast as she could go. Feeling an immense impact just behind her, Ranma shot out of the water as if she were propelled by a gunshot, and rode the large wave she landed on in a rush of nervous energy. Finally landing on what appeared to be an underground beach, Ranma sank thankfully to her knees and shot a glare at the barely visible sky high above.

"Stop blamin' me huh? Yeah right!" Muttering under her breath about vicious felines, Ranma clambered to her feet and looked about in the dim light. What she saw made her blink in surprise, as before her stood a tall staircase of marble running towards an immense doorway, lighted by two torches to either side. Engraved above the doorway a symbol vaguely resembling a tri-parted yin-yang hung, clearly a sign of some sort. Unable to do anything but mope or enter, Ranma decided the latter sounded a better idea. At least until she could work out a way to get out of here. The earthen cliffs that she had plummeted past were now slick with rain, making it impossible to climb back out until it had hardened. Which of course meant that the rain had to stop before it could dry. It would help if a sunny day could occur too.

Sighing in irritation, Ranma began to trek up the steps, wringing out what moisture she could get from her silken garments so that they could dry. 

Passing under the large doorway, the redhead felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up, a sure sign that she had just managed to get herself in trouble once again.

"Great," she muttered as she continued forward. There wasn't much point in going back now anyway. Senses spread, she stalked forward, alert to any sign of danger that could possibly arise. 

Acting on instinct, Ranma jumped straight up, bracing herself with her legs against the walls and narrowly avoiding being skewered by several dozen wickedly barbed arrows. Whistling slightly, Ranma dropped down carefully and inspected the projectiles. 

"Poison," she muttered sourly as she sniffed the blackened tip of one she pulled free of the stonework. Glancing about, Ranma knelt down and stared hard at the paved floor as she tried to work out what had set off the trap. Soon enough she found it, a small depression in the floor where she had stepped and pressed the silent switch. 

"Not bad, but not good enough to get me!" She crowed softly as she stood up again and continued onward, more cautiously this time.

Whispering down the hallway, Ranma's blue eyes roved incessantly, searching out as many traps as she could spot. Despite being only twenty metres down the corridor, which was lit with torches as far as she could see, she had already avoided nearly fifteen different traps, from spiked pits to swinging axes and one which she found particularly amusing, a giant mallet intent on squashing the victim flat. 

Still continuing to stifle her sniggers, Ranma moved forward and blinked as the endless hallway abruptly resolved itself into a large room with a single ironbound oak door facing her. Shrugging, the diminutive redhead stalked forward, swinging her head right to left in case of more traps. Hearing a loud bang from behind her, Ranma whirled to face the noise and stared in dismay at the heavy steel door that blocked her way back. 

Suddenly her danger senses screamed at her and she dove, narrowly avoiding having her head taken off by a huge granite fist. Coming up into a crouch, Ranma eyed the enormous golem warily. 

_How the hell did it move so fast and silently?_ She thought to herself as she began to circle. Attempting to look at its aura proved ineffective as it didn't seem to have one, and she was left no more time to ponder as the creature leapt forward and attempted to brain her once again in a blindingly fast overhead attack. Yelping in surprise, Ranma dove again before rebounding off of the walls of the room and connecting with a solid roundhouse to the thing's head. Gritting her teeth against the pain, the pig-tailed girl hobbled out of the way of the follow-up strike and back flipped away just in time to avoid becoming a red smear on the paved floor. 

_Gotta figure out a way to beat this thing!_ She thought frantically. _Man I really wish I learned the Bakusai Tenketsu now! Think, dammit! It's gotta have weaknesses!_ Dodging frantically away from the super-fast strikes Ranma searched constantly for any sign of weakness in her opponent.

To any casual observer it would appear as if a demented red ping-pong ball on a caffeine high was being chased by a large hunk of grey play-dough, punctuated by large cracks and stress marks appearing on the walls and floors, only to seal themselves over immediately after they appeared. 

Eyes crossing at the underside of the fist that passed above her head, Ranma bend herself double, her shoulders brushing the floor slightly to avoid the pulverising strike. Suddenly her eyes lit up with a manic light as she spotted a possible weakness before contorting herself in an almost impossible manoeuvre and kicking upwards with a full-strength mule-kick to the creature's elbow joint. With an audible crack and a bellow of pain, the arm severed and fell heavily to the floor.

Now only retaining the use of one of its arms, the golem stood a poor chance at succeeding.

Crowing victoriously, Ranma whirled and spun, punching and kicking with impunity at every joint that she could see, and when she finally came to a complete stop the large golem merely gave a soft groan of protest as it collapsed into a useless pile of rubble. 

Beaming radiantly Ranma spun towards the oaken door and was surprised to find it standing open as if in invitation. Slightly suspicious, the redhead crept through, searching for more traps, and blinked at the roughly hewn passageway that continued into darkness, lit only by two torches spaced irregularly along the passage. Frowning cutely in the dim lighting, Ranma moved forward, moderately certain that no more traps would be forthcoming.

After twenty minutes of walking, she began to get irritated and debated turning back when the darkened corridor abruptly opened up into a small chamber, illuminated by the same trisected yin-yang from before, this time engraved into the rough rock and glowing with a soft golden light. Beneath this stood a brighter glow, and Ranma was unable to determine what generated the light, though it seemed not to reach farther than two metres before fading out and allowing the gentler glow to illuminate everything else.

Just before she moved forward, another glow began to grow approximately three metres in front of her and began to rapidly expand to nearly two metres tall. As the glow faded away, the redhead found herself facing a beautiful black-haired woman wearing a pale-blue hooded robe, and fought to keep herself from bowing. Instead she merely blushed as the woman smiled benignly at her. Before she could speak, the woman began.

"Hello, Ranma. My name is Leknaat. I am a seer, a guide of sorts." 

"Oh…well…uhm…I'm Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. Pleased to meetcha." Scratching the base of her pig-tail nervously, Ranma cast about the room as she attempted to think of something to say. Leknaat laughed softly, her voice sounding like soft bells chiming in the wind, making Ranma blush as red as her hair. 

"I am **very** pleased to make your acquaintance Ranma. Do you know why you are here?" blinking, Ranma shook her head dumbly as she fidgeted. Smiling, Leknaat moved closer to the young martial-artist and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"You are here for a very special reason Ranma. The way here has been but a test to make sure you are worthy of what you are about to receive. Do not worry," she added as Ranma began to look pensive, "you will not come to harm. I have foreseen your arrival, as well as the arrival of two others whom are just as important as you." The tall woman gestured to the bright light beneath the trisected yin-yang.

"You have suffered much, and I am afraid you will suffer much more in your life, but though your suffering will continue, you have the chance to make the suffering of others lessened. Is not your prime tenet to 'protect the weak and defend the innocent'?" Seeing Ranma's pensive nod, Leknaat smiled gently. "If you choose to accept this gift, you can do that to an even greater capacity than before. Would you want to help defend the innocent from tyranny and persecution?" Ranma's nod this time had a more assured air to it, making Leknaat's smile grow slightly. "Before you stands one of the 27 True Runes, the Rune of Chaos. Being who you are, it suits you perfectly." Ranma frowned slightly, it sounded way too easy. And besides, she never liked gaining without having to pay for it. She was the best, and she had sacrificed much to get where she was now. It seemed a bit unfair to simply gain a lot of power just by saying yes. 

"Ranma, it may be powerful, but you must train to be able to wield it to its full capacity. Your body cannot handle the full power of the rune just yet, but over time and with experience, you will come into its power." Ranma brightened at that. Hearing that she would have to work toward getting such power made it a much more tempting offer.

"Uhm…Leknaat? What **exactly** does this thing do?" the petite redhead asked, eyeing the bright glow dubiously. Suppressing the urge to grin, Leknaat turned to face the pig-tailed girl.

"Just as it's name implies it is chaos, the absence of order, much like your style of martial arts I do not doubt. Its powers differ from wielder to wielder, so I cannot say just what its particular powers will be if wielded by your hands, but I can say that it may amplify existing skills you have. I cannot be sure. Being what it is, and myself being a seer and a messenger of order, I cannot really tell. Is that a sufficient explanation?" nodding absently Ranma continued to gaze into the light, suddenly feeling a curious sense of kinship that he could not explain. 

  
"So, what do I gotta do?" She murmured softly, tilting her head in a curiously bird-like way whilst maintaining her gaze at the warm light. Leknaat smiled and gave a gentle push to her shoulder towards the light.

"Merely hold up your right hand in the light, nothing more. If you accept and are accepted, then you will gain the Rune of Chaos." Nodding, Ranma stepped forward and up the small dais and raised her right hand towards the light. As her fingers brushed against the light she noted that it was pulsing gently, almost like a heartbeat. Taking a breath to calm her nervousness she pushed her hand down and met a strange resistance, almost like jelly, before her hand was buried up to mid forearm. A few moments passed in silence before a warmth suffused her body, making her feel lighter than air, and a strange prickling sensation crawled over the back of her hand that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

As soon as it had started it was over, and she found her arm free of the glowing orb. Stumbling slightly at the pure adrenaline rush that coursed through her body, she made her way back to Leknaat, who merely smiled in a Kasumi-like manner and nodded to her.

"Take care, Saotome Ranma. You will need it young man. Many trials are ahead of you." Ranma blinked in surprise as the woman was enveloped in a globe of light, similar to the one that heralded her arrival, and disappeared.

"How did she know I was a guy?" Ranma wondered aloud to herself. Feeling the post-experience rush wear off, the redhead looked down at her hand and blinked at the trisecting yin-yang that seemed tattooed to the back of her hand. Running the fingers of her left hand over it, she found that it was raised slightly and textured like glass, yet was as soft and pliable as her skin. 

"Man, that's really obvious. Wonder if anyone knows what it means? Darn, I might have to get gloves or somethin'." Huffing in exasperation, yet filled with a strange sense of wonder at her 'gift,' Ranma trotted silently back down the rough-hewn corridor until she came back to the ironbound oak door from before. Throughout her short trip, the pig-tailed girl had been pondering the Seeress'            words carefully.

_"I have foreseen your arrival, as well as the arrival of two others whom are just as important as you."_

_What the heck does that mean? Important? Important to what? I dunno, I don't get it really. This is too weird, even for me. Mind you, I gotta work out what this thing does first. _Standing before the oaken door, Ranma glanced down at the pale golden tattoo outlined on the back of her hand from the dim torchlight before shrugging and opening the door and gaping in astonishment. Before her was what looked like a large city, not more than four miles away by her count, and most definitely inhabited, as evidenced by the constant movements of barely visible figures that moved in and out of the front gates. Glancing about herself, Ranma determined that she was standing mid-way up a small mountain. How a small door like the one she had just exited through got halfway up a mountain was completely unknown to her. She was just grateful that she might get to see and talk to people again.

_Not that that Leknaat chick wasn't nice, but I wanna talk to more than one person. Be nice to get some decent food too!_ Grinning at the thought of food, Ranma began the process of descending the mountain by the most expedient route. Namely jumping twenty to thirty foot from ledge to ledge. 

Twenty minutes later, the petite redhead stood at the base of the mountain, breathing heavily from the exhilaration of the rapid descent.

"I'd better work out what this thing does before I go anywhere. Don't wanna hurt innocent people 'cause I don't know what to do with it," Ranma reasoned to herself. So saying, she decided to make camp for the next two or three days. It wasn't that hard to live off the land, even if there was only grass almost as far as the eye could see. 

"Bound to be something I can hunt around here. Like a rabbit or somethin'," Ranma muttered as she scrounged for firewood.

Three hours later, after a satisfying meal of two rabbits caught and roasted over a fire, Ranma settled down to sleep for the evening.

"Never hurts to get an early night," she mumbled softly as she pillowed a small pile of grass to rest her head upon. "I'll get around to this rune thing tomorrow." So saying, Ranma yawned widely and settled down to sleep.

=======================================================================

Yawning in exhaustion, Strider carried on with his stumbling pace, careful not to jostle his burden. After catching him and 'teaching him a lesson,' Setsuna had insisted he carry her again, much to his vague irritation. He was too bruised to particularly care at present, and she refused to allow him to take any medicine, saying only 'it serves you right' and keeping them firmly in her grip.

"Tight fisted witch," he muttered. 

"Wha'd you shay?" Setsuna asked, muffled slightly due to her mouth and nose being covered by the leather of his trench coat. Despite him being the 'beast of burden' she was obviously exhausted. 

"Nothing," Strider murmured, shifting slightly to make carrying the willowy older woman easier.

"W'ch the h'nds." Setsuna muttered. Eye twitching slightly, Strider stoically ignored the comment and continued to walk forwards.

It was to be nearly twenty minutes before he realised that a city was within sight near to the river that they had followed, the great spires of a palace reaching towards the heavens above sturdy stone walls. Numerous roofs and turrets also poked above the walls, hinting at the multitudes of life housed within.

"Setsuna, look! A city!" He crowed joyfully. Lifting her head blearily, Setsuna peered towards the distant citadel and smiled.

"Good. Maybe I can get some better shoes." Strider sniggered faintly, earning him an irritated look. "What is so funny?"

"Nothing much, beside the fact that women always seem to think of shoes!" He guffawed. Eyes narrowing, the older woman thumped him none too gently over the head.

"Heh, that's good kid, real good. Pity you ain't gonna get to buy no shoes now, ain't it?" Came a gravely voice from behind. Hanging his head, Strider sighed.

"Typical," he muttered. Turning about slowly, they came upon a group of six men wearing tattered clothing and cloth bandannas in garish colours stained by various foodstuffs and other grime. The one in front, stick thin and unshaven, brandished a rusty dagger threateningly and smiled a gap-toothed smile.

"What are you? Clown rejects from a circus?" Strider asked, quirking an eyebrow. He had not missed the two men in back holding light crossbows. Hopefully they were bad shots. If not, they were pretty much screwed anyway.

"What are you doing?" Setsuna hissed frantically in his ear. "Are you trying to get us killed?" Without her senshi abilities and her staff, she was not in a good position. And with the younger man admitting he had no experience in fighting, their position was made all the more desperate.

"Be quiet," the tall youth snapped softly, his eyes hard. Blinking, the green-haired woman closed her mouth in surprise. Swinging his gaze back to the muggers, as he guessed they were, Strider smiled at the leader, who's face was nearly purple with rage.

"Just for that you little shit, we're going to rape your little bitch!" Gasping, Setsuna gripped the taller boy's shoulder a little tighter and felt the underused muscles bunching tightly. Strider smiled thinly and fingered the spear hidden beneath his coat.

"Just try it, dickhead," he stated flatly, his eyes wintry cold. Abruptly Setsuna found herself deprived of support and fell down, landing roughly on her rump as her companion rushed forward towards their would-be attackers. 

Swinging savagely, Strider slashed the face of the gaunt man with the spear tip before pin wheeling wildly around and burying it into the chest of another mugger. Feeling a white-hot stab of pain in his side, he glanced down and spotted the haft of a crossbow bolt buried into his flesh. With a cry of agony he collapsed, grasping at the nearest body, which happened to be the second crossbowman. Tugging roughly, Strider wrenched the crossbow from his hands and stabbed the man in the eye with the pointed end, causing him to collapse howling. Half blind with tears, the youth pointed the crossbow over his shoulder and pulled the trigger, not even bothering to aim before he collapsed from the pain. Suddenly his world erupted into a kaleidoscope of colours and pain as one man's boot connected harshly against his face. Flailing ineffectively, Strider bounced painfully on the ground and curled up into a ball. 

Dimly through his pain he heard a furious feminine cry and cursed his failure bitterly.

"Well," he muttered, tasting the coppery tang of blood on his lips, "this sucks." Coughing slightly he tried to sit up, only to be stopped by a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Lie back down, Strider. This will hurt," said a voice that his muddled mind was unable to identify. Before he could speak a wrenching sensation accompanied with the feeling of being eviscerated tore through him, making him arch his back and scream in pain. 

"I'm sorry, it was necessary. Here, drink this." So saying, the figure placed something to his lips and tilted his head back, forcing him to swallow the liquid that tasted vaguely of mint. A few moments later liquid fire roared through his veins and he whimpered softly as a sucking sensation from his side alerted him to the properties of the liquid.

"Medicine?" He croaked to his companion as he attempted to blink the tears out of his eyes. Finally managing to clear the fog from his head he allowed his head to loll to the side to inspect his mysterious saviour. 

"Setsuna?" He murmured, a vague hint of incredulity colouring his tone. Three feet away the viridian-haired woman glanced up from looting the lifeless corpses and smirked.

"What is it? I said I was good with a staff. A spear is close enough for me to be able to use it. Feeling better?" She queried, finally standing up and walking over to him. Grimacing, Strider returned his gaze to the heavens and squinted sourly.

"I feel as weak as a day-old kitten," he snarled. Suppressing a smile Setsuna folded her skirt carefully and sat down. 

"So, what do we do now?" She asked, glancing to the city in the distance. Yawning, Strider felt his eyelids drooping.

"'We' go to sleep. I'm knackered," he murmured. Pursing her lips and frowning slightly, Setsuna debated the pros and cons of kicking her companion in the ribs.

_Probably wouldn't do much good. He's probably a masochist anyway_ she thought wryly. Glancing about the landscape she paused as she spotted movement rapidly closing on their position. 

_I must be seeing things. It looks like a demented red grasshopper._ Shortly however the 'grasshopper' resolved itself into a young redheaded girl leaping over the troughs and crests of the hills. Stopping close by she peered at the bodies of the bandits worriedly before glancing to Setsuna and the semi-conscious Strider.

"You do all that?" She asked in accented English, indicating the corpses with a thumb. The green-haired woman shrugged faintly and motioned to her companion, who was inspecting the new arrival with interest. It didn't escape her notice that he was eyeing the young girl's bosom either. Elbowing him in the thigh, she glared at him.

"Stop that!" She hissed before turning back to the girl. "Sorry, he tends to be a bit…perverted, at times. As to your question, we both did. My companion was injured in the fight and requires rest to recuperate." Eyeing the tall youth with scepticism the redhead glanced back to the bodies and back again.

"Well, I guess…" she murmured doubtfully. Seeing the girl was preoccupied, Setsuna took the time to study her. 

She was short, around 5'3" or so with brilliant red hair and cobalt blue eyes, and wearing a Chinese style red shirt that matched her hair, though it was incredibly baggy on her petite frame. She also wore a pair of dainty black slippers and black kung-fu pants cinched up with a wide white sash tied at the hip. After a moment Setsuna noted a faint tattoo on her right hand and peered closely in an attempt to see better. 

It appeared reflective - as if made of some type of metal, but the viridian-haired woman could see that it moved with the skin when the girl flexed her hand slightly, and seemed a stylised type of trisecting yin-yang. It was quite pretty, Setsuna admitted to herself and seemed suited to the girl who wore it. The girl, upon noticing her look glanced down at the tattoo and grimaced.

"Gotta work out how to hide this darn thing," she muttered under her breath just loud enough to be heard. 

Setsuna cleared her throat, deciding she should introduce herself.

"My name is Setsuna Meiou. May I ask your name?" She asked, raising a sculptured eyebrow gracefully. Detecting movement behind her she glanced back to see Strider propping himself up on his elbows. He nodded at the redhead and grinned wearily.

  
"Strider Richards. A pleasure," he grunted before sighing and allowing himself to fall back to the ground. Blinking the young girl scratched the base of her pigtail – a feature Setsuna had failed to note until now – and chuckled softly. 

"Oh yeah, sorry 'bout that. Name's Ranma. Ranma Saotome. Pleased to meecha." Glancing to the older woman she blinked and cocked her head.

"Setsuna Meiou? That's Japanese ain't it?" Raising her eyebrows in surprise, Setsuna nodded. 

"I assume from your name you are Japanese in origin also?" Ranma nodded with a grin.

"Yeah. You ah… you get brought here by any chance?" She queried tentatively. Smiling slightly Setsuna indicated the taller youth who dozed wearily to her side.

"Yes, as was he. We found ourselves brought here under quite…stressful circumstances. I would venture that it is the same with you?" Thinking back to the talking cat that had sent her to this world, Ranma shivered. Oh yeah, most definitely stressful.

"Yeah. Listen, I heard someone screamin' over here and came on over as fast as I could, but seein' as everything's over with now, you wanna come back to my camp? It's a ways away from here, but you can still see the city. It's at the base of that mountain over there. So, whatcha think? Wanna come over? There's a fire, and some food too, if you want." She offered, indicating over her shoulder at a mountain that had also escaped both of the companion's notice. Glancing between the city and the Mountain, Setsuna estimated that the mountain was slightly closer, and the next day would be an easy trek to the city.

"Of course, we would be happy to accept your offer. Right Strider?" She asked, turning around and raising an eyebrow at the downed boy. Lazily opening one eye in her direction, the taller boy glanced past them both to the mountain and then back again before yawning and making a half-hearted attempt to rise.

"Sure," he grunted, "sounds peachy. Gotta get me movin' first though." Smirking Setsuna glanced at the pigtailed girl, a spark of mischievousness dancing in her eyes.

"Oh, that's no problem," she demurred as she produced the spear tip – broken off of the haft – and jabbed him in one exposed buttock sharply. Yelling loudly, Strider shot to his feet and glared at her as he wavered back and forth.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!" He roared, clutching at the injured body part. Sniggering Ranma moved forward to stand next to him and looked up at him with a amused grin. Foregoing a retort Strider stumbled and nearly collapsed back to the ground, only to be saved by the girl's timely catch that revealed a surprising degree of strength for her smaller size.

"Thanks," he muttered as he attempted to regain his equilibrium. Nodding mutely, Ranma began to trudge off in the direction of the mountain, pausing only to direct an expectant look in Setsuna's direction.

"You comin'?" She inquired before turning again and supporting Strider toward their destination. 

Glancing to the walled citadel in the distance the green-haired woman took a deep breath before following her companions – now expanded by one more. 

_Things,_ she decided, _are definitely looking up. _

=======================================================================

End Chapter 2.

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(Note: I can't remember where the hell I got this image from. Sufficed to say, I didn't make it. I did alter it a bit though :)

BACK


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1/2, Sailor Moon or Suikoden. All rights go to their respective owners forthwith. 

============================================================

Strider groaned as he gazed intently at the stars.   
_My head hurts,_ he thought miserably. His stomach growled loudly and he grimaced. _My stomach hurts too. Stupid potion,_ he thought in annoyance. Across the fire that Ranma had made Setsuna sat silently as she leaned up against a handy rock, staring into the fire and contemplating the situation.

_I'm stranded on a strange world, with no Sailor powers, no immortality, no ability to judge the future. And I have a perverted teenager for a companion,_ she added ruefully. Having slept for two hours, Strider had awoken not too long ago to find her sitting nearby. Setsuna wondered whether to be insulted or pleased that she was getting so much attention as his eyes immediately tracked down to the swell of her bosom. A steely glare had earned a sheepish look before he lay down on his back and watched the stars that had appeared overhead. 

The walk to the mountain had taken nearly two hours, much to Strider's consternation and Setsuna's silent irritation. She had had to use another potion to repair her slightly blistered feet, and wasn't too happy at the state her stockings were in - they had been expensive.   
Once arriving at the pigtailed girl's campsite, The tall boy had collapsed bonelessly to the ground, shuffled slightly to get comfortable and promptly had fallen into an exhausted sleep. Setsuna, weary as she was, silently slithered down the face of the rock she was presently leaning against, and had not moved since, aside from claiming a potion to drink.   
Ranma had declared that rabbits weren't enough to feed three people and had bounded off energetically to find something more to eat. She had yet to return, but Setsuna wasn't particularly worried.

"What do you think we should do?" Strider asked suddenly.

"Hmm?" Setsuna murmured, breaking her gaze from the fire and looking at the youth. The tall teen rolled over slightly and propped his head on his right elbow to face her, a serious look on his face.

"What are we going to do in this place?" He repeated in more detail. "I'm not going to lower myself to becoming a beggar. We need to get some sort of jobs to get money." The green-haired woman smirked slightly and rooted in the pockets of her suit for a moment before pulling out several pouches that clinked metallically. Opening one, she waved a single gold coin about with a smile. Strider blinked and peered at the coin from his position before lying back down on his back again.  
"Oh," he said simply. Pocketing the pouches, Setsuna smiled faintly and leaned back against the rock tiredly, a yawn cracking her pretty mouth.   
"Maybe you should grab some sleep," Strider muttered from across the fire. Setsuna smiled faintly and nodded in response, allowing her head to sink down to her chest, her viridian hair cascading over her face like a waterfall. 

  
"You're gonna get a crick in the neck if you sleep like that." Jerking her head upwards, Setsuna glared at the redhead that had just entered the camp, several pheasants carried over her shoulder. Ranma smirked at her and collapsed smoothly into a cross-legged position before beginning to pluck the fowl efficiently by the fireside. 

"Need any help with anything?" Strider asked as he propped himself up on his elbows. Pausing slightly, Ranma looked thoughtful and glanced about before indicating a small pile of roots and a dagger laid next to it. 

"Sure, if ya want. Just slice some o' them. I got a pot somewhere in my pack." Strider glanced at the roots silently, then back at Ranma.

"That's nice. So who volunteers to walk for two hours to get some water?" He said cheerfully. Ranma paused and slapped herself in the face.

"Aw, damn. It's been a while since I was out in the wild with my old man. I'm a little rusty," the redhead frowned at that, muttering under her breath about macho women. Strider snorted faintly and went over to the pile anyway.

"Ranma, there anything we can eat without cooking it? It's not gonna great, but I doubt we have anything else to go with those," he indicated the pheasants Ranma was midway through plucking. Pausing slightly, the redhead nodded and pointed to the longer, thinner roots. 

"Yeah, those ones there, we can chew on 'em. They'll taste like junk, but at least they're good for us, I s'ppose." From her position over by the rock, Setsuna smirked.

"The things that are best for you always taste like 'junk,' as you say, Ranma," she said. The redhead eyed her for a moment before smirking ruefully.

"Ya? Say that to Akane's cookin' then. It tastes bad and could eat away a steel pan in about five minutes. Nasty stuff, that," she added helpfully as she finished plucking the fowl. Glancing at the dagger she had acquired, she pointed at it silently and caught it easily when Strider gently tossed it at her. 

"So, what's your story?" Strider asked, idly peeling the roots and trying without success to prevent the dirt already clinging to the surface from reaching the exposed innards. Ranma paused for a moment, wondering just how to twist her story to make it more plausible.

"Uh well, I travelled a lot with my old man when I was a kid, only settled down in the last year or so at his buddy's house. Got engaged to one of his...uh..."

_Damn, how do I put this?_

"His...uh...daughters and..."

"Wait, wait," Setsuna interrupted, leaning forward from the rock and resting her hands on the ground. "His _daughters_!? That's most defenitely not legal," she stated.

"I don't see why not," Strider muttered. "What's wrong with two members of the same sex getting married, as long as they love each other?" Ranma stared at the dark-clothed older youth for a moment, blinking dumbly.

"Uh...yeah, anyway. I've lived there for about a year or so. Kinda weird that place. Lotsa Martial Artists around the place. The town's crawlin' with them," She said, scowling at the innocent pheasant in her hands, completely ignoring the giblets she held in her left hand. "I hated the place, really, but I had to stay around - family honour an' all that," she explained. Strider chose to remain silent, content with simply staring at her with a bemused look plastered across his face. Blinking at the cooling entrails held in her hand, Ranma made a face and cast aside the useless portions, carefully placing the heart and liver on a fairly large leaf she had found nearby. Wiping her hands on the grass, Ranma scratched the base of her pigtail.  
"Now, where was I? Oh yeah... Anyhoo, I was sittin' under the bridge see, just thinkin' and gettin' some peace an' quiet, when along comes this talkin' cat..."

"Did you say...talking cat?" Setsuna interrupted again, looking vaguely hopeful. Ranma, slightly annoyed at being interrupted again, shrugged. 

"Yeah? So?" She asked, stuffing a few herbs into the chest cavity of the first bird. Setsuna licked her lips, sitting slightly straighter in eagerness, completely ignoring the odd look send her way by Strider, who shrugged at being ignored and nibbled on one of the roots he had peeled.

"What did it look like?" The viridian-haired woman asked. Ranma shrugged, a slight smile tugging at her lips as Strider made a face like he had just bitten into a lemon and dropped the root.

"Black," she stated simply. The ex-senshi blinked. 

"That's it?"

"Yup," Ranma said. Setsuna frowned slightly. 

"What did it say?" She tried again. Ranma huffed slightly, irritated at having to remember the girlish shriek he had emitted at the time.

"I just made a dumb wish, and it said 'Granted' or somethin' like that, then I appeared here." The older woman looked disappointed, and sat back.

"Oh," she murmured. 

"You were right, Ranma," Strider chipped in. "These do taste like crap," he stated. Ranma smirked and spitted one of the pheasants, picking up the next quickly.

"Told ya."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Strider yawned widely as he woke up, scratched himself, then examined his surroundings.   
Grass. Rocks. Drooling Setsuna.

He blinked for a moment, then retraced his sight over to the sleeping form of his original companion. He checked. Yes, she *was* drooling. He grinned silently and cast about with his eyes. After a moment, he found a slightly stunted stick that would serve its purpose. After another moment, one of the stray feathers from last night had been jammed into the split end.   
Grinning wickedly, he squatted down and brushed it over the older woman's nose. She twitched, rubbed her nose, and stayed asleep. Fighting to keep from laughing, he carefully eased the feather up her nose and wiggled it.   
The results were predictable.

"AAACHOO!!!!!!" Setsuna blinked blearily about herself in confusion, which quickly evaporated upon seeing the sniggering form of Strider leaning against a rock two feet away, a stick held in his hand. It took her a moment to work out that the tickling in her nose was from a small feather that had been lodged there. She had no allusions as to whom had helped it attain it's current position. Growling softly, she bent down and hefted a rock.

"Hey, wait a second, here..." Strider protested, a nervous smile writhing under his moustache. 

"Kindly dry up and die," Setsuna said sweetly as she hefted the rock and threw it, the small projectile arcing gracefully and smacking meatily on the tall youth's forehead.

"Augh," Strider muttered from where he had fallen, a livid bruise swelling up in the middle of his forehead.

"Serves you right," Setsuna stated, primly rearranging her suit to the best of her ability. Sitting up, the brunette glared sullenly before rising to his feet and glancing about. Spotting Ranma a short distance down the slope, he jogged toward her quickly.

"What'cha looking at?" He queried. Lifting a hand, Ranma pointed to the city in the distance.

"The city," she explained. "It don't look that far away, but it'll probably take us most of the day to get there." Nodding, Strider stretched and yawned a bit more before glancing to his companion.

"I guess we should pack up what we need then, right?" He asked. Seeing Ranma's confirming nod, he returned to the camp and began to pack up as much as he could. Soon he was joined by the petite redhead and together the two of them completed the packing up within minutes.  
Shouldering the backpack, Ranma gathered the pair's attention.

"Hopefully we'll get there by this afternoon. If not, we might have to camp out in the open, which isn't my best choice, so the faster we move, the more chance we got of staying in an inn for the night." She stretched easily, shivering in the cool air of the mountain slightly. "I'd rather sleep in a bed than on the ground, don't ya think?" Strider nodded, apparently amused by something, while Setsuna shot the taller boy a dark look.  
"So let's go!" Ranma stated cheerfully.

----------------------------------------------------------

"Remind me never to listen to you again," Strider muttered wryly as Setsuna wrapped several layers of gauze around his forehead. The large red stain near the right temple attested to its necessity. Ranma gave an apologetic smile from where she sat on top of the ant corpse, several small rips and tears in her clothing from the fight a few minutes earlier.

"Sorry," she muttered, bending down to dig through the backpack at her feet. Waving it off, the taller boy shrugged. 

"It's OK, I should have expected something like that to happen," he said. Finally, Setsuna sat back on her haunches.

"Done," she said, double-checking the tightness of the bandages to make sure everything was in place.

"Thanks," Strider murmured with a grin. Shrugging, the willowy woman stood and walked over to another corpse, stooping to loot it of the small bag of coins it was sure to have. A moment later, she stood up, several coins richer.

"We should get going," Ranma stated, glancing up at the sun carefully. "It's only a couple of hours until it's too dark to walk safely anymore." Nodding, the other two stood, Strider stooping to pick up another spear quickly.

"Just in case," he stated at Ranma's inquiring look. Nodding, the redhead set off in the direction of the city, now much closer than it had been before.

----------------------------------------------------------

"I hate the rain," Ranma groused, her ruby bangs obstructing her view. Flicking them out of the way for the hundredth time, she growled softly as the trio continued onward through the heavy downpour.

"Personally I don't mind it that much," Strider stated, walking tall and a slight smile on his face, despite being soaked to the skin. Next to him, Setsuna glowered silently, her elegant suit looking seriously bedraggled with several rips, tears and bloodstains decorating it in numerous areas.  
Mirroring her companion, Ranma glowered at the older boy in irritation. He smiled cheerfully at her, despite a slight shiver over his body.

"Well at least we got here," Ranma reasoned, glancing about the main square curiously as she tried to work out which direction to go in. After a moment, she spotted an inn several houses down the street and motioned to the others. Nodding silently, the little group hurried toward it, grateful for the prospect of a reprieve from the steady downpour, a hot meal an a warm bed to sleep in. "Thank god," Ranma yawned as she stepped inside, the muddy cloak she wore wrapped tightly around her body. As she made to take it off, however, Strider's hand overlaying hers stopped her.

"Ranma," he murmured, "don't take this the wrong way, but you're wearing a silk shirt underneath that, right?" At her confirming nod, he continued. "Wet silk, plus water and no bra, means what?" He asked as he quirked an eyebrow, a roguish smile blossoming on his face. Ranma glared at him in irritation.

"Pervert," she muttered. He bowed with a flourish.

"But of course!"

Foregoing the removal of her cloak, Ranma moved to the counter where a friendly-looking woman in a white apron stood, looking at the small group with marked interest.

"Can I help you?" She asked. Ranma smiled at her and ran a hand through her tangled crimson locks.

"Yeah, we'd like three rooms for the night, and meals if you've got 'em," she stated. The woman nodded and picked up a book from behind the counter.

"50gil please," her friendly voice stated. Turning to Setsuna, Ranma motioned with her hand to give payment. Behind them, Strider paused as a dark shape streaked past the window quickly.

"Ranma," he called, "I'll be right back, I thought I saw something outside, all right?" Seeing the redhead nod, he slipped out of the door, hearing her words of caution just before the door closed to. Wiping his face of the water that trickled into his eyes, he brushed his sodden hair backward as his eyes cast about for a clue as to the shadow's whereabouts. After a moment, he shrugged and turned to the right, following the direction the shadow had taken off in. After a moment's walking, he poked his head around the side of the inn, glancing into the prominent bushes.  
It didn't take him long to spot the young man partially concealed by the large shrubs, and glancing about quickly followed him in.  
"Are you okay?" He asked, holding his hands in plain sight. He already knew that having your hands concealed was not a great way to gain someone's trust, especially at night and in the pouring rain.  
Moving closer to the motionless person, he spotted a large dark stain on his blue tunic and cursed softly.  
"That's serious," he stated. "We need to get you to a doctor, and quickly." He moved forward to help the young man to his feet from where he lay propped against the wall, but found his hand caught in an iron grip.

"No time," the young man croaked. "No time...be here soon." He struggled to breathe, his injuries hampering his ability to speak. Wild blue eyes peered deeply into the taller young man's own through a tangled curtain of rust-coloured hair. "Have to get...away," he muttered. Thinning his lips, Strider glanced about quickly and took a deep breath.

"How can I help?" He murmured, moving his head closer to the stranger's own so that he would no have to speak louder than was needed. A tired smile flitted across the boy's face, revealing a desperate and haunted hope.

"I won't...make it. Too injured to get away. I'm sorry...for causing so much trouble...she must not...get it. I'm sorry...you're too kind...I'm sorry..." Before Strider could make sense of the youth's words, he found himself bathed in a eerie red light. His skin began to crawl as the hackles on his neck stood up stiffly in response to the situation. The pouring rain forgotten, Strider stared into the boy's eyes, seemingly transfixed by the great sorrow, depression, fear and desperation he saw there.  
Suddenly his entire body felt as if it had been dunked in a freezing cold lake, causing his breath to hitch in his chest and his body to shudder uncontrollably. Instead of disappearing quickly however, the freezing feeling settled down to a cold and empty ache, as if something was suddenly missing. Swallowing, Strider placed a hand upon his chest and stared wide-eyed at the boy before him, wondering silently why he suddenly felt a desperate emptiness within himself.  
"I'm sorry," the boy repeated. "Protect...the Soul Eater...don't let her get it...please. I'm sorry..." Before he could say anything, the boy lurched to his feet. "I'll...distract them...get out of the city...quickly. Not much time...here...take this..." He fumbled out a heavy pouch full of gold coins. "Take it...and hurry...it's important...I'm sorry." With that, the boy dashed out into the street, leaving Strider staring dumbly at the wall in front of his face, the boy's parting words echoing in his ears. _"Wear a glove...you must hide it..."  
_He glanced at his right hand curiously and swallowed. There, raised out of the flesh of his hand, was the Grim Reaper, the scythe curving up and over his hooded form.   
As he continued to stare, Strider felt a curious sense of attatchment to the symbol.

"_The Soul Eater,_"He murmured softly. Swiftly standing up, he tried to calm his suddenly racing heart and uneven breathing.  
_Oh fuck,_ he thought to himself. _I think I just managed to sink neck-deep in shit._ Swallowing, he returned to the street after making sure that no one was around and glanced about. Through the shrubs he had just emerged from, he spotted what he assumed to be an armoury, judging by the sign of a plate of armour out the front of the store. Pushing his wet hair back nervously, he dashed towards it and entered.  
Inside he glanced about at the rows of weaponry and armour before spotting something that he felt suited his needs perfectly. Grabbing it from the shelf, he quickly checked the price on the wooden tag before glancing about again. Grabbing a pair of black leather fingerless gloves, he fitted them over his hands to check before placing them over the armour he had chosen on the counter. Continuing his search, he found a circlet of some strange black metal, and read the tag. Finding it suiting his needs, he placed it atop his other purchases and continued to look. After several minutes he turned to the store owner, who was looking at him curiously.

"I need a sword. A damn good one," he stated flatly. "I'm...a bodyguard, and my last was lost in a raid by soldier ants." Nodding the storekeeper glanced about.

"Nothing to your liking here, then?" He asked. Reluctantly, Strider shook his head, but the storekeeper merely grinned and crooked his finger.  
"Follow me, lad. I gots some other stuff here, but it's a mite unusual, if you get my drift?" He eyed the large bulge that the money in the taller youth's pocket made hungrily.

"I have money enough," Strider stated simply. Nodding, the storekeeper opened up the back door and continued in, lighting several candles with a taper as he went. Once he had sufficient lighting, he stepped forward to a large trunk covered by a thick dust sheet.

"Now here, we have them items that only my most _Proficient_ customers get to see..." the old man grinned as he revealed the chest and heaved the heavy lid open. Displayed inside were a very large selection of weaponry, from daggers, arrows and darts to full-sized spears and lances.  
Strider ignored most of the items in the box aside from two. Reaching down, he withdrew a pair of strangely decorated gloves and a long wrapped bundle, both of which he placed upon the floor. Kneeling down, he turned the gloves over and over in his hands, marvelling at the supple leather that they were made of and the intricate patterns engraved in a strangely flexible silver metal.

"How much?" He asked, turning the gloves over in his hands. 

"500gil," the man said flatly. Strider boggled for a moment and put them down, turning to the larger wrapped package quickly. A few moments later and he drew a sharp breath as the sword that had been wrapped came into view. It looked like an oversized machete, aside from the strangely shaped tip of the sword, which curved outwards, inwards, then outwards at an angle again, similar to a bottle-cap opener. The hilt curved up and outward along the sharpened edge, then curved back down in a long hand-guard in the shape of a snarling wolf.   
"That used to be my grandfathers," the shopkeeper murmured. "It's called _Vandread_, or Black Howling, depending on which end of it you get on. I didn't really want to sell it, but...it looks right on you," he stated as the tall youth placed his hands on the double-handed grip and hefted the weapon. Grunting slightly, Strider strained to keep the blade upright and inspected the blade. The name was carved there in an almost beast-like scrawl, yet strangely flowing and elegant at the same time.

_I have to get it,_ Strider thought desperately. 

"How much," he whispered, his eyes still fixated on the blade.

"For you...1000gil. No more, no less." Sucking in his breath sharply, Strider dug in his pockets and pulled out the money pouch. He poured the entire contents out on the floor and began to count hurriedly.

"2010gil," he murmured under his breath. It would be enough to purchase everything he wanted. Just. "I'll take them both, and what I left in the front," he stated. Nodding with a smile, the storekeeper reached back into the chest and withdrew an ornate scabbard. Racing down the entire length was a silver engraving of a running wolf. The old man handed it to the youth with a smile.

"It goes with the sword, I hope you use it in good faith, young man," he stated. Nodding seriously, Strider took the scabbard and slid the sword into it.

"I will. Is there anywhere I can change into my new stuff?" He asked. Nodding, the storekeeper gestured to the room.

"Just use this one, I'll bring it all in for you," he said. Nodding his thanks, Strider closed the large chest's lid and placed his trenchcoat over the top. Collecting the money from the floor and handing it to the storekeeper when he returned, he quickly stripped off his wet T-shirt and let it fall to the floor. He slipped on the padded soft black leather overcoat that would protect him from the chafing of the armour and buckled it quickly before turning to the armour itself. It seemed relatively easy to put on, being that it opened up both sides via hinges at the shoulders, allowing him to slip it over his head and rest it on the overcoat.   
He grunted as the fairly heavy weight settled on his shoulders and shifted about a little to get comfortable. Reaching around, he snapped the fastenings into place on both sides and twisted as he attempted to get used to the unfamiliar garb. Once he felt that he could deal with it, He reached down and placed the neck-guard over his head, twisting it slightly as it settled into position to fix it in place. A click signalled his success.

_This place has much more advanced armour than I've ever heard of in a medieval setting. They must have had it for a great deal longer than we did in our history..._ Strider cut off his musings as he continued to piece together the armour, feeling a bit like he was assembling a flat-pack from his own world. He could almost see the instruction manual with the thing. It was obviously designed for idiots.  
_Just like a flat-pack_, he thought with amusement. With a grunt he settled one of the shoulder guards into place and clumsily matched up the joint with the one mirrored on the upper-right of his chest plate, finally managing to get it to click into place after r a minute of struggle. Leaning against the wall he sighed.  
_This thing is **heavy**,_ he thought to himself. _I really hope I can cope with the entire thing._ He suddenly wished that he had thought about going to the gym back on his own world, as it certainly would have made life easier.

It took him another fifteen minutes to finish strapping the armour into place, including bracers, grieves and his gloves, which finally covered up the strange symbol of the Soul Eater on his right hand.   
After pulling on his gloves, Strider paused and reflected upon the empty feeling inside himself. It worried him slightly, the feeling of almost-hunger that seemed to pervade every pore in his body as if something vital had disappeared. The worrying chilled feeling had also not gone away, merely muted to a dullness akin to being in the cold too long. He felt no loss of sensation, but couldn't help but ponder what it meant.  
It took the tall youth a moment to realise that the old man had also included a cloak for his new apparel, seeing that his old coat would no longer fit over the bulky armour without ripping, and he certainly was loth to do such a thing to one of his prized possessions.

Tugging the black material over his shoulder-guards, Strider fastened the pin - a silver wolf's head, he noted with amusement - and glanced at himself in the mirror. Pleased with his appearance, he finally placed the black circlet around his forehead, jumping in surprise when it tightened to fit his head, and leant down to fasten the sword to his belt. Standing up he groaned, feeling as if he weighed several tonnes, several times over. 

"Christ," he muttered with a grimace as he noted that the sword would hang down too low. 

"Here," The storekeeper stated from behind him. Turning around with an effort, the brunette saw the large off-the-shoulder strap that the man held out. It, too, had the symbol of the wolf on it.

"These were all your grandpa's weren't they," he murmured as he undid the cloak and fastened the strap around his torso.

"Oh? How could you tell?" The shopkeeper asked with amusement. 

"Lucky guess," he answered wryly as he threaded the scabbard onto the strap. With a grunt, he settled the sword into position. "Ye gods," he croaked as he almost fell over. The old man laughed and shook his head.

"You're no bodyguard, boy. I can see that as clear as day. You're more like a spoiled rich lord's son who'se not had to do a day's work in his life! I saw your hands boy...no callouses, tells me better'n if you had a sign on yer head." Strider sighed and slouched wearily against the wall.

"I'm no lord's son, that's for sure. My mother had to struggle to pay my way...but you're right, I've never done any real work before." He pointed to his forehead, where the sodden bandages still lay wrapped around his head. "Got this from those damn ants, and nearly got killed by bandits, too. I have to do something to protect myself, and this seemed the best way," he reasoned. The old man nodded, then went to a cupboard and retrieved a book bound in heavy leather.

"Read this then. It'll teach you how to use that," he pointed to the sword handle that jutted out over the tall youth's shoulder. Strider bowed awkwardly.

"Thank you for everything, but I have to go, by now my friends might be out looking for me." He quickly wrapped up his coat and the ornate gloves he had bought and walked to the front door of the store. "Thank you again," he called, then fastened his cloak and dashed out into the rain, pulling the hood up and over his head as he headed as fast as he could back to the inn. 

Just before he arrived he spotted Ranma perched up on the roof, her head sweeping back and forth in a searching motion.

"Ranma!" He called, making he jerk her head towards his position, then flip down off of the roof. He boggled for a moment, then remembered to close his mouth. If magic was possible, then that certainly was.

"What's the big idea!?" Ranma demanded as she popped up in front of him. Jumping in surprise at her sudden appearance, he sighed and gestured to the door.

"I'll tell you inside," he said simply. Sighing, Ranma nodded and entered through the door, shaking her head to relieve it of the water that had saturated it as best she could. Once inside, she turned around to continue berating him, when he entered the inn and pushed the cloak back, revealing his attire.

He still wore his jeans, but over them from foot to knee he wore plate grieves of a polished black metal, trimmed in silver. At his waist perched hip-guards of the same style as the leg guards, also mirrored in the armour he now wore instead of a T-shirt The shoulder-guards were ornate and stylised into the form of a snarling wolf, a running theme judging by the wolf pin and hand-guard of the sword pommel that rose above his right shoulder. 

Grinning at the redhead's surprised look, Strider cracked his neck to relieve the stiffness that had developed there and approached the counter, passing by the petite girl to talk directly to the woman who ran the inn, a woman by the name of Marie.

"Any chance of a bath?" He asked. Smiling at him approvingly, the portly woman nodded and explained where to find it and what to do. 

Twenty minutes later and Strider returned, still clad in his armour, but now noticeably clean shaven, his moustache and goatee neatly trimmed. His face seemed sallow and tired, his face paler than usual, but when asked about it he shook his head and motioned to the tavern section of the inn.  
"Food," he stated evenly. Ranma glowered at him in irritation.

"Setsuna isn't back yet," she said. Strider blinked at her in surprise.

"She actually went out to look for me? I'm shocked!" Ranma grunted as she leant against a nearby wall.

"We're the only links to the world she's used to. Of course she's gonna check to see if you're okay!" Swallowing, the taller boy nodded and looked away.  
As if on queue, the door opened and the viridian-haired woman staggered through, a ragged looking cloak thrown haphazardly around her shoulders. Soaked to the bone, it took her several seconds for it to penetrate that the object of her search stood right before her eyes. When it did, her teeth bared in a chattering snarl that prompted a nervous grin from the taller boy.

"Er...hi?" He ventured.

"You _Son of a Bitch!_" She roared, socking him in the jaw with a vicious right hook. He fell like a sack of potatoes and lay groaning on the floor.

"Help," he mumbled feebly as he struggled to rise. "I'm a turtle and I can't get up!" Sighing disgustedly, Ranma leant down and hauled him easily to his feet, where he swayed like a reed in a stiff breeze.  
Blinking to clear his vision from the many technicoloured lights, Strider regarded Setsuna with admiration.   
"You hit bloody hard," he stated, wincing as his left jaw and cheek throbbed painfully. Setsuna glared at him angrily.

"Fuck off," she snapped before stalking over to the counter and asking where she could procure some clean clothes and a hot bath. Sighing, Ranma retrieved her pack from Marie and went to have her own bath - though she made sure her room had a lock on it to prevent any 'accidents' from occurring.   
Left alone with his thoughts, Strider sighed and scratched his head sheepishly.

"That went well," he commented out loud. Marie regarded him reprovingly, to which he frowned. "I was helping someone out, okay? And...I sorta managed to go to the armoury as well..." he added with an embarrassed smile. Marie continued with her disapproving look, making him sigh. "Fine, I'll apologise..." he muttered. Nodding in satisfaction, Marie returned to her duties as innkeeper.

Half an hour later, the three of them gathered around a table in the tavern area, Setsuna glaring acerbically at him continuously.  
"All right! Enough already! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, okay? Really I am." He sighed and scrubbed his face with his gloved hands tiredly. Seeing her mellow out slightly, he leant forward and gestured for his companions to do the same. Once they complied, he outlines in detail what had occurred after he left the inn, slipping his glove down slightly to bare a portion of the strange tattoo that had appeared upon his hand when it was needed.   
When he got around to explaining what happened in the armoury, he brought out the wrapped gloves and handed them to the redhead.  
"These are for you," he explained. "You use your hands a lot, but against armour they might get damaged. Also, these will cover up your tattoo from prying eyes."

Taking the wrapped gloves from the paper, Ranma examined them in detail, turning them over and over and muttering to herself under her breath. After a few minutes, she slipped them on and flexed her hands experimentally. Smilin gin satisfaction, she grinned at the taller youth.

"Thanks, man," she said sincerely. Nodding and smiling, Strider sobered quickly and explained his current unease.

"It's like I'm hollow..." he murmured as he gazed at his hands silently. "Like there's something missing that was there before. And I feel cold, like a permanent chill in my bones. It's an eerie feeling that I can't quit describe..."

"Like you are being chilled like a piece of meat on a shelf so that you stay fresher for longer?" Setsuna supplied, looking haunted. Jumping in surprise, Strider nodded. 

"How did you know?" He muttered softly. Sighing, she explained her ex immortality, though leaving out a sufficient amount that she felt all her secrets would not be compromised.  
"I see," he whispered softly. He lifted his hand and gazed at it silently for a moment. "You think I'm immortal because of this thing?" He asked. She nodded, running a delicate hand through her hair.

"You said that his eyes looked older than the rest of him, right?" She asked. Nodding, Strider looked grim.

"Yeah, and when I say old, I mean _old._ His eyes were just... so full of sorrow... He must have been hurt so much. And the thing is, he only looked to be in his early teens. Maybe fourteen or so, give or take a year or two at most. He must have been a child when he got this thing... I wonder how he got it?" Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought. "But he kept saying something that's got me on edge. You mustn't let her get it. You have to get away. That sort of stuff. I think we have to get out of here as soon as we can," he reasoned. Reluctantly his companions nodded. "How much cash we got left?" He asked, glancing at Setsuna. Tugging on the drawstring of the bag, she glanced inside for a moment.

"About eight hundred or so, I think," she added, glancing down again. Scrubbing his face, the brunette nodded. 

"I think that's enough to get you guys some clothes that will fit in. We can't walk about like we have been, we'll be remembered far too easily, and if we need to get away without being noticed, sticking out like a couple of sore thumbs isn't the way to do it." Grimacing, Setsuna nodded.

"My suit's ruined anyway," she said with a dark frown. Ranma looked uncomfortable, but nodded reluctantly as she saw reason. 

"I guess," she muttered. 

Suddenly, a commotion outside made Strider glance up sharply. Licking his lips, he motioned to Ranma at the door. Grinning and tugging on her new gloves, Ranma nodded.  
"Let's party," she affirmed. Smirking, the taller boy made his way to the front door and stepped outside, the petite redhead hot on his heels. Immediately they spotted two opposing parties, one in full armour and looking highly official, most likely the local militia or soldiers, the other garbed in far more personal garb. The latter composed of a man and a woman, both soaked to the skin and looking fiercely determined. 

"Get out of our way!" The captain of the soldiers barked angrily. "We're on important business!" The man, a tall blonde carrying a large and extremely wicked looking axe, ground his teeth and glared.

"Pardon me, sir. I didn't mean to obstruct your way," he bit out, bowing slightly and stepping to the side. The woman at his side thinned her lips and bowed as well, also moving to the side.   
The soldier however, paused and looked at the pair closely.

"Hey! Aren't you McDohl's servant? I've seen you around, I'm sure of it! If you're here, then that traitor he's been sheltering must be nearby!" The pair looked alarmed at his statement, and with a glance to Ranma to warn her, Strider stepped forward.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken, Captain...?" He waited politely, his head tilted to the side. Glaring at him, the soldier simmered, but kept his manners.

"Andressen, Captain Andressen of the 14th Guard." Nodding judiciously, Strider stroked his goatee thoughtfully.

"Yes, Captain Andressen, I see. However, despite your obviously impeachable observation, I'm afraid you have the wrong man, and woman," he added with a charming smile at the woman by the blonde's side. She eyed him suspiciously for a moment.  
"You see, these two cannot be," he hesitated slightly, "McDohl's servants. Because, you see, they are mine!" He prayed they would get the hint and hoped his english accent would sound noble and foppish enough. He smiled easily at the Captain, glancing carefully at the two, who seemed surprised. The woman recovered first, licking her lips and bowing, subtly motioning for her companion to do the same.

_Thank god,_ Strider thought to himself with relief. If they could keep up the act, they might get away without further incident.

"We are sorry, young Master," the woman murmured, glancing up meaningfully. "Gremio and I were merely in a hurry to get to you." Seeing the woman's meaning, Strider glanced back and kicked Ranma sharply in the shin. Wincing and glaring at him, the redhead finally cottoned on to the plan.

"Oh! Er, right. Um, Master..uh...Strider, I'm uh...sure they didn't mean to be a pain in the ass!" Resisting the urge to groan and smack his forehead, Strider merely settled for a glare at the redhead.

"We shall discuss your conduct later, Ranma," he ground out. Turning, he offered the Captain an embarassed smile. "Ah, with such incompetent servants, it is a wonder anything ever gets done!" He sighed dramatically, kicking out at Ranma's shin again when he saw the redhead open her mouth angrily. Wincing, she merely glowered at him and crossed her arms beneath her breasts angrily. 

Eyeing the three 'servants' dubiously, the Captain eventually nodded and gave a tight lipped smile. 

"Pardon me then, M'Lord. I must be on my way. You haven't, perchance, seen a boy of about fourteen summers running about, have you? Dressed in blue with brown hair." He stared hard at the tall youth then, who feigned thought, and absently stroaked his goatee again. 

"A boy, you say? Hmm...now you mention it, I did see a boy about an hour ago...he went that way," he pointed down the street, away from the direction the boy in question had actually taken. Catching the furious looks from the pair, he shook his head minutely and flicked his eyes in the direction the boy had taken. Understanding blossomed in their eyes and they lowered their heads to stare at the rain-splattered cobblestones. 

"Thank you, M'Lord," the soldier muttered, then dashed off in the direction indicated, the rest of his patrol following hot on his heels.  
Once they were safely out of earshot, the foursome sighed in relief and relaxed slightly.

"Thank you," the blonde called Gremio said. "We appreciate your help." He was dressed in blue, a large and sturdy-looking green cloak wrapped around his well muscled body. A large cross-shaped scar on his cheek stood out in the dim light. "My name is Gremio, and this," he indicated his companion, "is Cleo." The woman looked to be in her early twenties and wore well-used light purple, white and hot pink armour. Had it not been so dark, and the armour so well used, Ranma had the feeling that she would have been blinded by the colours.  
Cleo nodded at the pair greatefully, the large green jem in her headgear sparkling slightly.

"I also would like to thank you," she murmured, a hand rising to brush away some of the water accumulated on her brow. "But first," she paused, "do you know anything of the boy they are searching for? You seemed to indicate that you had seen him."   
Sighing, Strider nodded and glanced up into the pouring rain. 

"Yeah, I've seen him," he answered at length. He studied the pair as they glanced at each other meaningfully. "Do you know why he is being chased?" Another glance, this time a warning glance between the pair, confirmed his suspicions. He tugged off his right glove and held up his hand, displaying the symbol of the Soul Eater for them to see. "Then you might want to hear what I have to say," he stated flatly, his eyes grim. Seeing their shocked looks and spotting them reaching for their weapons, he quickly explained what had passed, finally finishing with the boy, who Cleo had named Ted, stating that he would draw 'their' attention away so that he could escape.

"What I want to know," he added, "is who are 'they' and why are they after this?" He held up is re-covered right hand meaningfully. Looking shaken, Gremio gestured to the inn.

"We should go inside, this might take a while," he murmured, his air subdued. Agreeing, the four moved inside out of the rain, Ranma muttering darkly under her breath about water and the possibility that somewhere a diety lived to make her life miserable. Strider felt that her words were amusing, but could not work up enough enthusiasm to laugh.  
Leading them to the tavern, they draped their cloaks over adjacent chairs and sat down, quickly filling Setsuna in on the situation. She nodded in understanding and made room for Cleo to sit next to her.  
What all four of the arrivals were seated, Strider ordered some inexpensive food and returned to his seat.

"So, what's the deal?" He asked bluntly. Gremio sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"'They' is actually 'she.' Her name is Windy, and she is the Court Magician, who answers only to the Emperor. According to what Ted could tell us before he left, she has been alive and actively seeking the Soul Eater for over three hundred years." Strider whistled softly before he motioned for the blonde to continue.  
"I do not know why she wants it, but Ted was very sure that it was for no good reason, and that she meant harm should she come by it. Four years ago, General McDohl, our Master, took Ted into our home as he had no son of his own. Since then, we have served both he and Young Master Ted faithfully, until he was called to an audience with Lady Windy after we returned from a mission to the east. The rest is quite self-explanatory. She attacked him and he escaped, returning home to tell us of what occurred...but..." He stopped speaking, his eyes burning furiously as he glared at the table.

"Our friend, and another servant of the Master, Pahn, betrayed us and informed the Guards of Ted's location. He barely escaped when they arrived at the house... I do not know what has become of Pahn now, but..." She too trailed off, looking depressed at her inability to protect her charge and stop her friend. 

"I know how it feels," Ranma muttered, staring at her hands. "To have a friend betray you, that is..." she supplied at their inquiring looks. 

"Well that ain't gonna happen here," Strider stated flatly, staring her down. She gave a grateful smile and nodded. The tall youth turned back to Gremio again.   
"What exactly are these 'runes' anyway?" He inquired, looking faintly confused. The pair stared at him in surprise, which quickly changed to confusion.

"How can you not know what they are? Everyone, even the most unschooled farmer, knows what a rune is!" Gremio asked. The trio glanced at each other silently. Ranma shrugged at Strider's glance.

"Why not? Ain't like it matters, right?" She said. Turning to Setsuna, she shrugged indifferently, seemingly reserving judgement.   
Sighing to himself, and taking a draught from the drinks that had arrived earlier, Strider scrubbed a hand through his hair before explaining in no uncertain terms that they were not from this world, that they had been pulled here against their will (at least in Setsuna's and Ranma's cases) and that they had no idea how they were going to get back.

Gremio and Cleo blinked repeatedly as the outlandish story sank in, but conceeded to themselves that it was certainly possible. Leaning back, Gremio began to explain.

"According to myth, in the beginning the _Rune of Beginning_ created everything, then split into two halves. One a sheild, the other a sword. These two halves fought against each other, sparks flying with every blow. These sparks turned into the twenty seven true runes, though very few know the names of all the runes, and not one person knows the location of them all. These runes in turn created lesser runes: fire, earth, wind, water and so on. These lesser runes are the ones that many people use. Cleo, for instance," he gestured to her, and she held up her right hand and tugged off her lavender coloured glove, "has the rune of fire, which allows her to use spells from that element."

"I got it from Lady Leknaat," she added, tugging her glove on. 

"What! Leknaat?!" Ranma exlaimed loudly, drawing several curious stares. After being pulled down she leaned forward eagerly. "You said Leknaat gave you yours?" Seeing Cleo's nod, she tugged off her right glove and displayed Chaos to the pair.  
"She showed me how to get this one, as well," she said, her eyes glinting curiously. 

Frowning, the pair peered at it in puzzlement. 

"What rune is it?" Cleo asked, glancing up at the redhead. Frowning, Ranma scratched her head for a moment.

"Oh yeah! She called it, let's see...the True Rune of Chaos?" She ventured, glancing at Strider. He nodded as he remembered her telling the tale when it was fresh on her mind.   
Across the table, the pair sat in mute astonishment.

"You...you both have True Runes?" Gremio whispered softly. The two nodded in confirmation and he swallowed. "If...if Lady Windy got her hands on _both_...what could she do with them?" He asked himself. The redhead and the brunette exchanged troubled looks, privately agreeing his point.  
"You have to get out of here...and...if Young Master Ted gave you his rune...then..." he trailed off, glancing to Cleo silently. She bit her lip and stared at the table, deep in thought. "Then...we must help you escape and keep the rune away from Lady Windy." He finished. 

Ranma, Strider and Setsuna all stared at him in surprise for a few moments, during which Cleo decided to add in her opinion.

"I agree. If Ted trusted you enough to give you what he has been protecting for three hundred years, then it is our obligation to help you so that his sacrifice is not in vain." 

Sitting back, Strider blew his breath out slowly as his mind turned over the possible repercussions of gaining their help. With the state the city was in, searching for Ted and the Soul Eater, it would be virtually impossible for them to leave without coming under scrutiny from the guards at the gate, who were almost certain to be at full alert by now. 

"What do you think?" He asked his companions. Predictably Setsuna shrugged indifferently, leaving Ranma to cast the deciding vote. The redhead shrugged also. 

"Why not? We could use the help I guess," she reasoned. Rolling his eyes heavenward, Strider sighed and extended his hand to the blonde cheerfully.

"Welcome aboard," he chirped, shaking both of their hands, though halfway through pumping Cleo's hand his smile turned mischevious. Deftly he twisted her hand so the knuckles faced upwards, leant down and kissed her hand.  
"My Lady," he murmured with a grin. Pulling her hand back slowly, Cleo looked unsure whether she should be embarassed or pleased. Setsuna snorted in disgust.

"Pig," she muttered. Ranma just looked confused, which made Strider crack a real smile.

"Don't worry about it, Ranma," he explained. Rolling her eyes, the redhead sighed.

"Whatever," she mumbled. Holding in a laugh, the taller youth ran a hand through his hair and turned his attention to the ex-senshi sitting opposite.

"Both of you need to get some clothes that'll blend in, and we need them fast if we have to get out of here tonight," he said. Grimacing, Setsuna nodded and stood up, the others quickly following suit. Unnoticed, a young man in his early twenties grinned behind his mug from the next table.

Stepping outside after promising to bring back Marie's cloak, the quintet hurried over to the armoury and entered after furtively glancing about for pursuit. Inside, the storekeeper's eyebrows rose as Strider moved forward and explained his companion's need for clothing and weaponry.

"And why would ya need that then, eh boy?" He queried softly, his eyes boring into the taller youth's own. Thinning his lips, Strider glanced back at the others as they perused the store's wares. 

"I was given something, something important to keep safe, and I can't do that here. My friends are the only ones I trust to help me, but we need secrecy, not to parade about looking like an act out of a circus!" He waited with baited breath for the old man to respond, and gave an inaudible sigh of relief when the old man nodded and smiled. 

"I see. Well, all right then. I think I might have something for the lovely ladies," he paused as Strider's gloved hand landed on his arm.

"They are both fighters," he murmured. "They need clothing that will suit them. Please," he added, seeing the man's irritated look. Upon hearing the plea, the storekeeper nodded and beckoned the two women over.

"Follow me," he muttered and led them into the back of the shop, to an area that was obviously for female fighters like themselves and Cleo, who had followed out of curiousity.   
Ranma grimaced upon seeing the garb before her, inwardly cursing herself for not speaking up about her condition earlier. 

_Well now it comes back to bite me on the ass,_ she thought with a distasteful grimace.

"Got anything more...uhm...manly?" She asked, wincing at the other's looks. Standing at the door, Strider raised a curious eyebrow, mouthing _'manly?'_ silently to himself.

_Well,_ he thought,_ she is a bit butch at times I s'ppose. It makes sense in a way that she wouldn't really want to be judged like that..._ he paused for a moment. _I wonder if she's a lesbian?_ He grinned at that thought, but carefully smothered it when the redhead directed a curious look his way. He lifted a hand and waved slightly before heading back out front to where Gremio stood, inspecting various axes.

"Hey Gremio," he called. Seeing the blonde turn to face him, Strider unsheathed his sword and held it horizontally across his hands. "You know how to use a sword? I need teaching, or else all I'll be able to do is hack and slash and likely get myself killed if we fight something more durable than a gopher," he joked. The axeman shook his head regretfully.

"Sorry," he apologised, "all I know is how to use an axe. Pahn might have known, but..." he trailed off with a twisted grimace of distaste.

"No need to apologise, mate. I understand," the tall youth said, re-sheathing the intricate weapon awkwardly. He sat down with a sigh and held his head in his hands. "God this thing is heavy," he moaned, stretching his tired muscles in an attempt to breathe new life into them.   
Gremio chuckled as he glanced over.

"You'll get used to it eventually," he offered, ignoring the baleful look the taller boy shot at him. Just then the shopkeeper returned, the women in tow.  
Ranma wore a simple armour of cured black leather, the fit strangely adrogenous on her small frame, and grieves of a matching colour and fit to go with her black leather bracers and brand new gloves, the silver studs of the knuckles glinting in the candlelight that lit the store. She grinned at the pair and flashed a victory sign, a sure sign that she liked her choice of apparel. Setsuna came next, wearing much more femenine protective gear.   
The glinting steel breast-plate hugged her generous assets like a long-lost lover, tastefully trimmed in gold weave and mirrored by the elegant sweep of the epaulettes. A simple dark purple jerkin covered the leather overcoat that protected her skin from the metal, exposed at her upper arms and stomach and covered by the polished steel gauntlets, also accented by gold trimming, all the way to her fingertips, which were only partially armoured to allow dextrous movement. In her hands she carried an elegant oak staff, capped with steel at the ends for a crushing blow that was the signature move of the weapon. The wood itself was carved with several runic inscriptions that, after careful observation, matched the subtle runes in the gold trimming of her armour and making the overall effect quite stunning.

"Fuck me," Strider breathed under his breath. He was not quite quiet enough, however, as Setsuna shot him a vicious glare.

"Not in _your_ life time," she sniped. Wincing, the tall brunette glanced at Gremio. 

"Ouch," he murmured. The blonde nodded with a sympathetic look, but declined comment as the ex-senshi's penetrating gaze swept over his form. Shivering slightly, he vowed not to get on the green-haired woman's bad side, unlike his companion.

Cleo brought up the rear, still clothed in her rather loud pink and purple ensemble, thankfully toned down with the brown pants she wore, Strider noted. He grinned at her when he glanced up from looking at her legs to see her returning his gaze, though hers was slightly baffled, as if she had not had such attention before. He sincerely doubted that she lacked admirers.  
Once they paid for their purchases, the quintet emerged into the rainy night and huddled together by general concent.

"Where do we go from here?" Ranma asked, tugging the cowled hood of her cloak forward a bit more to prevent herself from getting wet. Grimacing, Gremio shook his head.

"I'm not sure," he answered honestly. "We can try crossing the boarder, but if our desciptions are out, it would be hard work to do so."

"And as soon as Ted's ruse is discovered, they're likely to make our capture a priority," Cleo added.

"Perhaps after leaving the city, we should split up?" Gremio suggested, though the downturn at the corners of his mouth betrayed his feelings on the matter. Ranma shook her head quickly.

"No way!" She exclaimed. "You said you'd see it safe, and how're ya gonna do that if you ain't anywhere near us? You're stickin' with us whether ya like it or not, get it?" Smiling slightly, the blonde nodded.

"All right, so we stick together, no matter what..." He paused, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "I think it would be best if we returned to the inn for now, gather enough food for a while and then we could leave in an hour or two. It should take them at least that long to find out Ted no longer has the rune, and by that time we will be outside the walls of the city and out of their grasp."

"For the moment," Setsuna added logically. Frowning at the flaw in his plan, Gremio nodded.

"So let's go!" Strider said, turning about and making for the inn. The others followed suit quickly. 

When they were several houses down the street however, several squads of soldiers rushed around the corner, a familiar captain at their head.

"They are staying here!" He bellowed as they came to a halt. Frozen, the group stared morbidly at the sight, before hands reached out of the dark alley right next to them and hauled them bodily into the darkness.  
Outside, the captain continued to give orders.  
"Surround the place! They must not escape! Phoenix and Dragon groups, with me! Inside, now!" The sound of many booted feet followed his order. In the alley, the five glared angrily at the young man that had pulled them so fiercely into the darkness.

He was quite tall, with a large, shaggy mop of raven black hair and thick, bushy eyebrows. A roguish smile would have decorated his face, but he was too busy glaring at the petite redhead not too far away. The slight swelling under his right eye gave away the reason. 

"What was that for?" He demanded. The redhead sniffed and crossed her arms.

"You could have been a murderer or somethin'," she explained. "How was I s'pposed ta know? It was a reflex." The young man glowered indignantly.

"I was saving your life, all of you! If someone's looking for you, you don't stand there like a moron!" He hissed softly.

"Who are you, anyway?" Strider muttered, rubbing his head where he had banged it during the unexpected 'rescue.' The young man paused, then laughed softly.

"Sorry, I forgot about that. My name's Viktor, nice to meet you, seeing as you guys are now on the Empire's 'most wanted' list." Gremio looked ill.

"They discovered him so quickly?" He whispered to himself in despair. Beside him, Cleo looked as if she wanted to break down in tears, but bravely held them back. She clutched her spear to her chest in a white knuckled grip. Viktor sobered abruptly.

"My guess would be they did," he answered simply. "Which means if you want to get out of here now, you're going to need help." He grinned smugly. "And I'm the man for the job!" Surprisingly, his grin did not waver under the suspicious looks from the five companions, merely getting wider in amusement. 

"What can you do?" Strider asked, shivering slightly from a chill no one else seemed to feel. 

"I can get you out of here," Viktor answered simply, "in return for one thing."

"I knew it was too good to be true," Gremio muttered, eyeing the younger man darkly. The raven haired swordsman held up his hands placatingly.

"Hey," he said, "it's nothing big, honest! All I want is for you to come with me to meet someone, that's all," he explained. The group exchanged glances uneasily for a moment, before Setsuna stepped forward.

"And who is this 'someone?'" She queried dubiously, the butt of her staff clinking against the ground.

"Just a friend," Viktor answered evasively. "They won't hurt you, I promise," he added.

"How do we know you won't betray us and turn us in to the Empire?" Gremio snapped, clearly uncomfortable with his new-found outlaw status. Viktor laughed softly, his hands folded over his stomach in an attempt to staunch the wild quakes of his body.

"Hahaha! T-trust me," Viktor croaked out between laughs, "I'm the _last_ person that would turn you in to the Empire!" He seemed vastly amused by the thought and descended into muffled guffaws. Before Gremio could speak, his thunderous expression proof enough that his words would not be helpful, Ranma stepped forward.

"I think we should go," she stated evenly. "That gate's the only way I saw of to get into the city, and if he can get us out without us bein' noticed, I say go for it. What's the harm of meeting this person anyway?" She asked, "it ain't as if we can't fight our way out anyway, with me around," she boasted, grinning slightly. Viktor's chuckles increased slightly upon hearing that, until a leather-clad figure appeared from nowhere in front of his face.  
"An' what's so funny?" Ranma growled, her hands on her hips. Choking down his amusement, Viktor shook his head quickly.

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all," he murmured as he stood up again. "Come on, lets go!" he muttered, pushing past Gremio to the entrance to the alley and glancing out. "All's clear, just follow me, okay?"

Ranma felt that the next ten minutes were the longest of her life, as the group wove and back-tracked around the city in an attempt to avoid all of the patrols of soldiers that roamed the streets, eventually ending up a short distance away from the main gate. Motioning for them to be quiet, Viktor moved away toward the soldier, exchanging a few words with him softly.

"I knew it!" Gremio snarled. "He's betraying us!" Soon enough, the guard took something from the swordsman's hand and walked a short distance away.

"Think I'll just take a walk over here," he murmured out loud, seemingly to himself. Viktor returned, a triumphant look on his face.

"Ah, the language of gold," he whispered with a grin. "It can persuade even the staunchest of men!" He handed Gremio a small pouch.

"Hey!" The blonde growled. "That's my purse!" Viktor shrugged.

"You should keep a better eye on it," he cautioned. "You never know who might get their hands on it!"

Without any more words, the six companions quickly made their escape, heading out into the stormy night and away from the clutches of those that persued them.

- End Chapter 3 -

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